Jailer: Shivarajkumar’s role in Nelson Dilipkumar’s Rajinikanth film confirmed with first-look image

A little while ago, Sun Pictures, the makers of Superstar Rajinikanth’s next, Jailer, officially announced the inclusion of Hattrick hero Shivarajkumar on the cast of Nelson Dillipkumar’s film. Shivanna, we hear, is reportedly playing an antagonist in the film. There is a school of thought that the Kannada actor is not a villain but will be seen in a pivotal cameo as an ally to Rajinikanth’s title character, Jailer.

Fans who were expecting an image of Thalaivar from the film were a tad disappointed, but they were highly appreciative of the post, as they believe that Shivarajkumar is a welcome relief from the standard villain tropes in Tamil cinema - tall and gigantic who doesn’t speak Tamil.

Shivanna, who spent his early childhood in Chennai, speaks fluent Tamil, which fans believe will stand him in good stead in the film. While many extended a hearty welcome to Kannada cinema’s Century Star, they also admitted to not being aware of his body of work, following which Shivanna’s fans responded with a list of films that everyone ought to see to understand his calibre as an actor.

Some Kannada fans expressed worry about the kind of role and screen presence Shivarajkumar will get in the film and hoped that the makers keep his star status in Sandalwood in mind while planning his character.

Jailer is Rajinikanth’s first film with Nelson. Expected to be a mid-2023 release, Jailer also stars Sivakarthikeyan, Ramya Krishnan, Priyanka Arul Mohan, Yogi Babu, Vinayakan and Vasanth Ravi, among others. The film will have music by Anirudh Ravichandar. Jailer, according to reports is a action comedy thriller, with the filmmaker planning to explore the Superstar’s comic timing.

Meanwhile, Shivarajkumar, who is one of the busiest actor’s in Kannada cinema, is also expected to be a part of Dhanush’s period drama directed by Arun Matheswaran.