Kaala' satellite rights sold for Rs 75 cr?

It seems that the craze and demand for Rajnikanth's movies hasn't subsided despite flops like 'Lingaa,' and 'Kabali.

' Close on the heels of his upcoming sci-fi thriller '2.0' 's satellite rights which were sold for Rs 108 crore, now the Hindi-Tamil-Telugu rights of his other action film 'Kaala' has been reportedly bought by the leading Hindi channel, Star TV, for a whopping Rs 75 crore, setting a new record in satellite business for South Indian movies.

"It is truly a record price for 'Kaala,' since barring the presence of Rajnikanth, the film doesn't boast of a top leading lady, star director or composer, unlike '2.0' where big names like Akshay Kumar, director Shankar and A R Rahman, who were a big value addition for the film.

Undeniably, Rajni's films generate outstanding business, irrespective of his previous duds," said a leading Hindi film distributor, on condition of anonymity. Elaborating further, he adds that barring 'Bahubali,' no other South Indian film has crossed the Rs 60 crore mark. Undeniably, Rajni outwits other top southern stars like Kamal Haasan, Chiranjeevi, Mahesh Babu, Pawan Kalyan and Vijay in expanding his pan-India appeal in a big way.

Even though the trailer of 'Kaala' received a mixed response and director Pa Ranjith's success has been exciting enough, the 'Baasha' star's legion of fans across India are looking forward to the release of the tale of a fearless slumlord on April 27 with bated breath. Can Rajni revive his winning habit? That remains to be seen.

BY BVS Prakash