Annaatthe Motion Poster: Rajinikanth’s Swagger On A Motorbike

Earlier today, the first look of Rajinikanth-starrer Annaatthe was revealed on the occasion of Ganesh Chathurthi. It revealed a Rajinikanth in a traditional veshti-shirt, surrounded by golden bells, and a rustic background. The makers have now released an exciting motion poster with Rajinkanth again in a shirt and veshti — this time with an aruvaa, riding a bike on a bridge and chasing his enemies. As a cartoon-looking car explodes, we see the words 'Superstar Rajinikanth', followed by a still of Rajinikanth posing on a Royal Enfield bike. It's curious that the bike has a West Bengal registration. 

The motion poster doesn't reveal much but it's interesting to note that the film isn't going to be just a rural masala drama like initial reports had suggested. After his superhit Ajith film Vedhalam, the director is returning to Kolkatta with at least a major chunk of this film being set here too. In the poster, we see the nightscape of a big city and upon close inspection, it is obvious that the we're on the Howrah Bridge. We see the yellow Amabassdors and then we also Rajini on a bullet with the number WB 03 SS 1212 on its number plate. The 1212 is again a hint at the superstar's birthday which falls on the 12th of December (his jeep in Kaala was MH 01 BR 1956).   

After Aditya Arunachalam in last year's Darbar, does the 'SS' in the middle suggest that Rajini's name in Annathe too would be an alliteration?  

In a departure from recent Rajinikanth films, Annaatthe looks to be a family-action entertainer on the lines of Padayappa or Chandramukhi with a huge star cast made up of Meena, Khushbu, Nayanthara, Keerthy Suresh, Jackie Shroff, Jagapathi Babu, Prakash Raj, Soori and Satish. 

Annaatthe is directed by Siva and has music by D. Imman (Viswasam, Teddy). Editing is by Ruben, cinematography by Vetri and action by Dhilip Subbarayan. The film's production and release was postponed multiple times due to the pandemic in 2020, with the shooting stopping abruptly in December last year at Hyderabad because a few crew members tested positive for Covid-19. The makers have officially announced that the film releases for Diwali 2021 on November 4.