As next year’s big-ticket release, S.Shankar’s 2.0, starring Akshay Kumar and Rajinikanth, nears its release date (January 2018), controversies around the film refuse to die down. Earlier this year, there were reports that both the lead actors had a conflict over the climax of the film, which later turned out to be false news. And now, reports are doing the rounds that owing to an “ego clash” between the two superstars, they will promote the film separately.
Rubbishing this report as just a baseless rumour, a source close to the team tells us, “It’s a lie from the beginning. Some people (who are spreading these rumours) are acting dirty because of reasons best known to them.”
Speculation trigged ahead of the mega music launch of the film, which is slated to take place on October 27 in Dubai, and it is being said that Akshay will not attend the event. Clarifying this, the source says that Akshay is going to be there and he is looking forward to the Dubai event.
“There are plans that both Akshay and Rajinikanth might arrive on a chopper at Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in Dubai. Also, around Rs 12 crore are being spent only on the music launch of the film, which has a budget of close to 400 crores, making it the most expensive film till date,” reveals the source, adding that the music launch, in which AR Rahman is performing, will be hosted by none other than Karan Johar.
When we contacted the production team of 2.0 for a comment, an assistant director (AD), on the condition of anonymity, told us, “As we speak, the stage has been completed and LED screens are being fixed. I’m landing in Dubai on October 23 with the crew and both Rajini sir and Akshay sir are coming on 26th morning. The next day, on 27th, we are holding an international press conference for what promises to be one of the biggest music launches of recent times.”
As said by @shankarshanmugh Sir, "More than a movie,it's an experience." Some insight into the experience: #2Point0 https://t.co/ddCaFZSY6U
Sharing more details about the event, he adds, “The launch is happening at Burj Park near Burj Khalifa in Dubai, and 10 thousand people will watch it live at the venue. Also, with all the LED screens been put up, around 1.5 lakh people will watch it across Dubai Mall and the vicinity.”
Commenting on reports of this rumoured ego clash between Akshay and Rajinkanth, the AD refutes it and calls both the actors “extremely humble”. He elaborates, “They respect each other’s craft, and value each other personally and professionally. [Also] when there are biggies involved in a film, it is the audience that thinks that there is a clash. Or maybe, there are people who don’t want this movie to be a hit, and that’s why these constant rumours keep emerging.”
Reports suggested that Shankar was “going crazy” trying to convince his actors to attend the historic Dubai event. Reacting to this, the AD says, “Such issues may crop up if actors lack confidence in the director. But here, both Akshay and Rajini sir are very co-operative and confident about their director [Shankar].”
He further adds that both Akshay and Rajinikanth have maintained a great rapport throughout the shooting of the film. “They enjoyed doing the action and dance sequences. They were either making fun or having fun on the set. Whenever a scene was given to them, they never had the time to go and think about politics; rather they were always focused on what they wanted do in the shot, to make it the best.”
Follow @htshowbiz for more
