Actor Rajinikanth has revealed that his upcoming Tamil action drama ‘Petta’, directed by Karthik Subbaraj, is an entertaining throwback to the kind of films he did in the 1990s.
“When Sembian and Kannan from Sun Pictures came home and requested me to act in their production, I immediately gave my nod. Karthik Subbaraj had pitched a story to me. It was on my mind and as I listened to stories from other filmmakers, I wasn’t quite satisfied,” he said at the audio launch of the film.
“Then, I called Karthik again this year and asked him to narrate. This time, he stunned me with an excellent, well-developed version of the story he pitched earlier,” Rajinikanth said.
‘Petta’ marks the first collaboration of Rajinikanth and Subbaraj.
The 67-year-old star praised Subbaraj and his directing.
“Karthik has a very different style of storytelling. He directed this film like a true Rajinikanth fan. ‘Petta’ is an entertaining throwback to the kind of films I did in 1990s. Karthik has extracted from me the kind of work I used to perform three to four decades ago,” he said.
Rajinikanth went on to describe ‘Petta’ as a “beautiful film” best suited for a festival release.
The film marks the South Indian debut of Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui. He plays a character called Singaar Singh in ‘Petta’.
“Every time he appears on-screen, he has delivered something different. In ‘Petta’, he has turned in a versatile performance,” Rajinikanth said.
The film, gearing up for a Pongal 2019 release, also stars Vijay Sethupathi, Trisha, Simran, Megha Akash, Malavika Mohanan and Sasikumar in key roles.
Heaping praise on Sethupathi, who plays the film’s antagonist, Rajinikanth said: “I wasn’t quite sure who would be perfect for the role of Jithu. Karthik suggested Vijay Sethupathi, and I’m glad he agreed to be part of the project. He’s no ordinary talent. I’ve seen his films and he is an extraordinary actor. After a long time, I felt like I worked with a good actor.”
Rajinikanth also thanked audiences for the success of ‘2.0’, which has emerged as a blockbuster with more than Rs5 billion (Dh257 million) in gross earnings.
“I need to thank audiences across the globe for the success of ‘2.0’. The entire credit for the victory goes to director Shankar, producer Subaskaran of Lyca Productions and the technicians,” he said.
In ‘Petta’, which has been produced by Sun Pictures, Rajinikanth is rumoured to be playing a professor with a violent past.