The shooting of superstar Rajinikanth's Annaatthe has been halted due to multiple COVID-19 cases on the film set. A source close to Rajinikanth confirmed that around four of the technical crew have tested positive for the coronavirus, and as a precaution, the shoot has been suspended temporarily. The superstar is expected to return to Chennai on Wednesday or Thursday. Sun Pictures that is producing the movie confirmed that Rajinikanth has tested negative for the coronavirus.
Last week, Rajinikanth accompanied by his daughter Aishwarya Dhanush, took a chartered flight to Hyderabad to begin the next schedule. Rajinikanth is set to take his political plunge very soon with a newly floated party. So, the Annaatthe team was racing against time to meet the deadline and relieve Rajinikanth at the earliest possible as he wanted to concentrate on his political activities. The team was shooting at Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad, and the schedule was supposed to be for 45 days.
Rajnikanth had recently mentioned in a media interaction that there is about 40% of Annaatthe's shooting remaining and that he would complete it before he gets into politics. The actor had also admitted that his doctors had advised him that he needed to be cautious during the pandemic as he has several health issues and this is one of the reasons why the launch of his political party was delayed.
Tipped to be a rural drama, the film is being directed by Siruthai Siva. The film also stars Nayanthara, Keerthy Suresh, Meena and Khushbhu in key roles. The film was officially launched last December in Chennai in a low-key affair.
Rajinikanth was last seen playing an angry cop out to avenge his daughter’s death in Darbar, which was directed by A R Murugadoss. The film featured Prateik Babbar, Nivetha Thomas and Yogi Babu in crucial roles. Anirudh Ravichander composed the music while Santosh Sivan did the cinematography. Darbar turned out to be a damp squib and received mostly negative reviews.
Following the failure of Darbar, it is rumored that Rajinikanth agreed to reduce his remuneration by half for Annaatthe. Darbar, which marked the first collaboration of Rajinikanth and AR Murugadoss, had reportedly incurred a loss of Rs 70 crore. It's said to be one of the biggest disasters in the star’s career.
(Content provided by Digital Native)