A collage of Lokesh Kanagaraj, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan.
Credit: Special Arrangement
Filmmaker Lokesh Kanagaraj is reportedly facing backlash on social media for allegedly unfollowing Tamil cinema giants Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth. Reportedly, this move appears to confirm rumours that he was removed from a highly anticipated project involving Superstar and Ulaganayagan.
Industry buzz for the past few months had him directing the two icons of Kollywood. However, the scenario changed after his film Coolie's dull performance in the theaters. Insiders suggest that the dream project was taken away from him after Coolie’s poor run at the box office.
Celebrated as a hit filmmaker, Lokesh Kanagaraj has been credited for delivering a string of Tamil cinema's biggest successes, including Kaithi, Master, Vikram and Leo. More significantly, he has revived the cinema viewing experience by introducing and expanding his unique interconnected world, known as the Lokesh Cinematic Universe.
His move comes to the public eye a day after the announcement of #Thalaivar173. On the evening of November 5, Kamal Haasan’s production house, Raaj Kamal Film International, made the official announcement of Rajinikanth’s project. While Kamal Haasan comes on board as producer, the movie will be helmed by Sundar C. The project marks the reunion of Sundar C and Rajinikanth after Arunachalam (1997).
With the rise of technology, celebrities' actions on digital work are closely monitored, frequently making headlines. This alleged move by Lokesh has disturbed the ardent audiences of Superstar Rajinikanth and Ulaganayagan Kamal Haasan.
Unfazed by the social media buzz, these industry titans are fully committed to their upcoming films. Lokesh is lining up his next directorial project. Rajinikanth is busy with Jailer 2, after which he’ll move to #Thalaivar173, a project backed by Kamal Haasan's Raaj Kamal Film International. As for Kamal Haasan, he is currently busy filming the sequel to Kalki, in addition to an untitled project with Anbariv.