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        Is it true? or is it just imaginative gossip? This is the question that is being asked in Kollywood in the last few days as reports have begun to trickle that the 'style' czar of the Tamil film industry is to work again with the modern master of filmmaking. To cut the frippery, the news pertains to the talk of Rajnikanth and Manirathnam joining forces again after their 90s' 'modern Mahabaratha' Thalapathy.

        After every Rajnikanth film, the question of 'what next?' hangs in the air with nervous excitement. After Sivaji's phenomenal success, the query had an even more insistent ring.

        It is here that the Kollywood grapevine comes into the picture. It is being said that Rajni had been to Mani's office in the last couple of days.

        It is not clear what transpired at these meetings. But Rajni meeting Mani is reason enough for the rumour mills to go on an overdrive. Already reports have it that the two have got down to discussing 'a script'.

        Mani and Rajni coming together is a wonderful prospect, but also offers a piquant problem as Rajni is almost not allowed by his fans to go beyond the matrix of his established formula. But Mani is a stickler to his own credo. So, if at all the duo are to join forces, who will move towards the other would be interesting. The two had earlier been part of Thalapathy (released in 1991). Produced and directed by Mani Ratnam himself, Thalapathy featured Mammooty, Shobana, Bhanu Priya besides Rajnikanth.

        It was more a Mani Ratnam movie than a Rajnikanth film. The familiar story of Karna from the epic Mahabaratha was skillfully modernised with typical 'Mani Ratnam trademark' screenplay and dialogues and foot-tapping numbers by Ilayaraja.

        Mani as of now is working on a script for a Hindi movie to feature Aamir Khan. So the talk of a movie with Rajni in the immediate future may look slightly premature. But you never know in Kollywood where 'certainty' comes from a different lexicon.