AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

        The wait should be finally over.

        Sivaji, directed by Shankar starring Rajnikanth and produced by

        M Saravanan and M S Guhan (AVM Productions), is confirmed for a release on 31 May.

        The movie has been the talk of the town what with the biggest marquee names in Kollywood (Rajni, Shankar, A R Rahman), and some of most talented technicians like cameraman K V Anand, editor Anthony, art director Thotta Tharani, writer Sujatha, choreographers Raju Sundaram, Lawrence and Brindha, and costume designer Manish Malhotra have figuring in it

        Grand, style and slickness are the words being associated with the movie. It is not just the most expensive film ever made in Tamil cinema but also the movie to be released with maximum number of prints.

        Apart from Rajni, Shriya plays the female lead. Suman, Prakashraj, Manivannan and Vivekh are also in the cast.

        In terms of explosive combination, Tamil cinema has not seen anything bigger than Rajnikanth and Shankar. With AVM too pulling out all stops to make the movie fit the image of Rajni and the imagination of Shankar, the expectations are at an amazing high.

        Apart from all the creative talents at work, even divine help seem to be going in favour of the film. 'Those of us who believe in coincidence being form of divine intervention, there is a lot of that in Sivaji. The movie is director Shankar's eighth film, his luck rests on eight. Rajnikanth favours nine and this is his ninth movie with AVM and also it happens to be his 100th straight Tamil film. The title of the film resonates with Rajnikanth's real name Sivaji Rao Gaekwad', a press release from AVM says with breathless surprise.

        Previously Shankar always managed to keep the details of his films close to his chest till the release. But Sivaji became an exception with first the storyline becoming common knowledge, and then some photographs made it to the internet. And, as if these were not enough, three musical tracks also made it to the net on the sly. All these point to the unsurpassed interest and curiosity that this Rajni starrer has evoked. Almost every bit of trivia associated with the film has been made into a story in the media. The readers and viewers have also not felt it is enough.

        Now with the release date being announced, the excitement is certain to rise to a fever pitch.

        Sivaji was short extensively in Hyderabad, Pune, Spain and USA.

        On being part of a Rajnikanth film, Shriya says, 'it was project which had all the big names in Tamil film industry. When Shankar offered me the role, I immediately grabbed it with both hands since I am a great fan of Rajnikanth.'

        'Shankar is one of the few in film industry who knows exactly what he is doing. He thinks big and executes them big on screen'.

        The film's music is already a big draw. Rehman has managed to combine his tehno virtuosity to match the mass expectations of Rajni fans. It is a big achievement.

        Rajni fans, after the disappointment of Baba, were more than satisfied with what they got in Chandramukhi. But now their expectations are even more high.

        The big question though is can the film live up to this almost impossible expectation and hype? Can it do justice to the mind-boggling economics involved?

        An answer will be known by this month-end.