Rajini’s ‘Darbar’ to hold the fort from Thursday

Tamil superstar Rajinikanth has always been synonymous with breaking records. And on Thursday, when he storms into 7,000 screens worldwide through his much-awaited Darbar, he would have broken records set by none other than himself.

Thousands of die-hards would keep a vigil outside theatres across Tamil Nadu to catch their Thalaivar on screen at the break of the dawn. Rohini Silver Screens, Kasi Theatre and other screens in and around Chennai will witness night-long celebrations as Rajinikanth’s fans welcome him into the theatres after a gap of one year at 4 am.

Over 7,000 screens, including 4,000 in Tamil Nadu and 250 plus in Karnataka, will release Darbar on Thursday in which the superstar plays a ‘bad cop’ if one goes by the trailer of the movie. In the US alone, the movie is released in 350 locations, while the screens that would release Darbar in Malaysia is 135.

Over 650 screens in Chennai city will release the movie – a record-breaking number if even one goes by the high standards set by Rajinikanth. This is the second consecutive year a Rajinikanth movie is releasing during Pongal – the harvest festival, this year, will be celebrated between January 14 to January 17.

The movie, according to industry trackers, has already raked in more than Rs 220 crores before the release in the form of distribution, music and other rights and is expected to bring in tons of money to the production house as it is a solo release.

“Even if one takes previous Rajinikanth movies as an example, Darbar has crossed all expectations in terms of hype and revenue. Since it is a solo release, we expect to make good money as it will be an extended holiday during Pongal this year,” a cinema theatre owner in Chennai told DH.

Breaking yet another record, the production house, Lyca, has tied up with 15 brands, including Airtel, Bharat Matrimony and SpiceJet, for the promotion of Darbar. Rajinikanth who plays the police commissioner of Mumbai in the A.R. Murugadoss-directed Darbar is his 166th film.

Shows in Chennai suburbs will begin at 4 am, while in the city it will begin only after 7 am. All seats for the special 4 am shows in almost all theatres, mostly single screens, around Chennai have been sold out and fans will celebrate through the night. The Tamil Nadu government has also allowed theatre owners to screen special shows on Thursday and Friday and Monday and Tuesday next week.

Darbar, in which Nayantara plays Rajinikanth’s lady love, has evoked unprecedented expectations from fans as the superstar is donning the khaki uniform for the first time in 28 years – the last was in Pandiyan released in 1992.

While film industry trackers said the movie has made over Rs 200 crores in the pre-screening stage, distributors were making all-out efforts to screen the movie in a maximum number of screens in Tamil Nadu.