Release of Rajnikanth's 'Kochadaiyyan' postponed

Rajnikanth is known to go to any lengths to keep his fans happy. This time, he will break a promise.

The superstar’s new release 'Kochadaiyyan' won't make it into theatres in time for Diwali, as he had promised. This is the actor's first release after his recent health scare; his only release in the last two years and for, at least, the next two years. Theatres all over Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and other parts of the South were already being booked in bulk.

The delay was being kept strictly under wraps to avoid a surge of disappointment among Rajnikanth's fans. But when we spoke to the makers of the film, they didn’t deny the news.

When Rajnikanth was just recovering from his health scare, he had announced at the airport before flying off to shoot songs with Deepika Padukone in London that 'Kochadaiyyan' would be his Diwali gift to his fans.

And the project was being readied to keep the superstar's promise.

So what went wrong?

According to an inside source, Ajay Devgan is to blame.

Says our source, "Rajni Sir’s South market is totally secure. In fact, when Kamal Haasan Sir heard of Rajnji's Diwali plans for 'Kochadaiyyan', he postponed the release date of his Hindi-Tamil-Telugu tri-lingual Vishwaroop. But then, the news of the Ajay Devgan-starrer 'Son Of Sardar' being released during Diwali surfaced. Though it in no way affects Rajni's Southern and overseas market, the Hindi version of 'Kochadaiyyan' is bound to get affected. Initially, Rajni's team was ready and willing to take on 'Son Of Sardar' even in the Hindi belt. But now Sonakshi Sinha is hotter and more happening after 'Rowdy Rathore'.

It was felt that a Diwali release was just not be feasible or practical."

When contacted the 'Kochadaiyyan' producer Dr Murli Manohar, said, "What's the rush? Yes, we've postponed the release. We are no longer coming during Diwali."

He added, "But that's more because we are not ready. This is Rajni's first release since he was unwell and therefore very special to him and to his fans. We want to make sure Kochadaiyyan is just perfect in every way."