Chennai: Director Shankar’s mega venture 2.0, starring Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar, is all set for release 29 November.
A sci-fi thriller being made on a budget of Rs 600 crore, the film was shot in 3D format. And with the release date nearing, there is frantic enquiries among theatre owners to instal 3D screens.
Speaking to News Today, a theatre-owner in Alandur, said, “We will give it a shot. We consider a Rajini-starrer in 3D format a safe bet. We are in talks with producers in this regard.”
Remember, Shankar had appealed to exhibitors a few days ago to upgrade their existing infrastructure to screen the 3D version?
Sources say the producers (Lyca International) have connected theatre-owners with those who are supplying the equipment for converting screens to 3D directly. Some of the theatres had required 2K projectors and the ‘silver screen’, but they didn’t have the equipment to convert it into 3D. In such cases, Lyca helped the theatre-owners to be in touch with suppliers.
Sources in the trade say that the silver screen costs Rs 3-4 lakh. With 3D films being touted as the future, there is a feeling that many theatres will opt for it. Also plans are being made to help theatres hire 3D technology for the film.
When Rajini’s Kochadaiyaan was out in 3D format (shot in motion capture technology) similar arrangements were made. As of now, 2.0 will be out in 3D format in over 450 screens while in the rest it will be in 2D format, say sources close to Lyca.
The movie, a sequel to Enthiran, has been in the making for over three years. Cleared with a U/A certificate, 2.0 has been in the news for a long time due to various reasons, one being its visual effects, involving the work of 3,000 technicians around the world
Amy Jackson, Adil Hussain and Sudhanshu Pandey are also in the cast.
The film, which will release in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi, will mark the Tamil debut of Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar.
The cinematography department is handled by Nirav Shah, while music is scored by A R Rahman. About the movie, Shankar, said, “Audiences will see Rajini as scientist Vaseegaran, robot Chitti and 2.0 version of Chitti. There will also be a giant version of Chitti in the climax. We also have another version but we’d like to keep that as a surprise.”