Rajinikanth and Nelson Dilipkumar dispel rumours, Thalaivar 169 is very much on

Nelson has come under fire for failing to live up to the expectations of the audience with Beast. Just a few months ago, he was celebrated as Tamil cinema’s next big director with the unexpected success of Doctor. However, things got sticky for him with mostly negative feedback for Beast from critics and the audience.

Despite the poor ratings, Beast has managed to cross Rs 200 crore worldwide within five days of its release. Its collection in Tamil Nadu alone stood over Rs 100 crore till Tuesday.

Earlier, Vijay’s father SA Chandrasekhar, who is also a popular filmmaker, berated Nelson over Beast. “The magic is there in the screenplay. You can’t lightly handle a very heavy subject, which is about international terrorist organisations. The director has to take time and study it. He should understand what it means to be a RAW agent? Or what is the RAW department? What is the military?” he said.

Rajinikanth-Nelson project, tentatively titled Thalaivar 169, will be bankrolled by Sun Pictures, which also produced Beast. The shooting is expected to begin soon. And the filmmakers are yet to reveal the details of the remaining cast and crew.