Is 'Rana' finally shelved?

After Rajnikanth's chronic health problems, buzz is that his ambitious project may not be made after all

After Rajnikanth's chronic health problems, buzz is that his ambitious project may not be made after all

The buzz about one of superstar Rajnikanth's most ambitious projects, Rana, is that the film appears to have become quite jinxed now and that it may not be made at all. The actor was supposed to play triple roles in this film directed by KS Ravikumar.


Rajnikanth at the muhurat of Rana

Rana was supposed to be the screen adaptation of Sultan, the animation film that his daughter Soundarya was planning to make a couple of years ago. Our source says, "By the time Endhiran/Robot released, Soundarya and Eros felt that it would be better to make a live film out of the script, with Rajni sir, instead of an animation film.
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More so because Endhiran/Robot had become a hit despite an unprecedented budget of R 150 crore. So Ravikumar, who had previously worked with the superstar on Muthu and Padayappa, was brought on board to rework the script of Sultan into Rana."

Amidst much fanfare, the film, to be made in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, was launched on April 29 this year at a Chennai studio. The only hiccup, albeit minor at that time, occurred when Rajni was rushed to the hospital when he complained of breathlessness.
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After spending part of the day undergoing tests, the actor then returned to the studio, where the mahurat took place with his co-star Deepika Padukone. Unfortunately for the team, before the shoot commenced, Rajni took ill again and had to be hospitalised. Next, he flew off to Singapore, reportedly for a surgery.

In the meanwhile, the schedule, which had been postponed to September, showed no signs of starting even till October. That's when Eros sent a release stating that while Rajni was recovering, the team wanted him to rest well. "Hence we have decided to take the decision on shooting dates in December, 2011," said Sunil Lulla of Eros.

However, it is now learnt that the film's makers don't want to stress Rajni with the extensive action so soon after his recovery. "The producers and directors feel nothing is more important that his health," pointed out our source.

Reportedly, the superstar had assured Deepika that her schedule would be planned keeping in mind the availability of her dates as she had already made prior commitments to other movies.u00a0

On her part, the actress says, "I really don't know what is happening on the film. I had given dates whenever asked for. But they haven't got in touch with me over it again."

When contacted, the spokesperson at Eros maintained that the next announcement of the film's schedule will only come in December.