Dhanush is geared up for the release of his film Raayan today, coinciding with his birthday. The project marks the Tamil star’s second directorial venture, following the 2017 film Pa Paandi.
Recently, Dhanush and his son visited their ancestral temple in Tamil Nadu’s Theni district to pray for the success of Raayan, reported India Today.
The actor shared a photo on social media showing him sitting cross-legged on the ground while praying at the temple. The scene is serene, with a large tree adding to the peaceful ambience. He captioned it: “Staying connected to your roots is peace”, accompanied by a white heart emoji.
Dhanush right now needs all the peace in the world after he called himself an “outsider” at the audio launch of Raayan.
He claimed at the event that there were a lot of negative comments after he bought a house in Chennai’s Poes Garden, known for housing film celebrities Rajinikanth and the late Jayalalitha, reported the Hindustan Times.
“If I knew buying a house in Poes Garden would have become such a big topic of conversation, I would have simply got a small apartment,” he said. “Should I not buy a house in Poes Garden? If I live on the street, should I stay there only?”
While the story was inspirational about how hard work could get a person to the top, the Internet reminded Dhanush that he did not come from the streets as his father is director Kasthuri Raja.
One miffed user wrote on X: “Its funny when a Nepo Kid like #Dhanush is talking about starting from scratch. Like, damm your family has a cinema background and you access it easily with no talents at all during your first few movies. And you talk about being on the streets? Do you know what is streets?”
Another X user pointed out that Dhanush’s father financed his first film when he was just 18 and he was married to Rajinikanth’s daughter by the time he was 20 after achieving success.
“What is this new level of idiocy from Dhanush?” the user wrote, adding: “Why do these actors act as if they are something out of the ordinary? Wearing a simple dress and a rudraksha doesn’t mean someone is simple and humble. The mindset is what matters.”
On the film front, Dhanush is praying for Raayan to be a hit. It is his landmark 50th film and also written and directed by him.
The trailer and promotional content have managed to create some buzz for the film. After Indian 2’s fiasco, the Tamil film industry is hoping Raayan serves as a saviour for distributors and exhibitors.
The film has the right formula for success. It is a revenge drama centred on the titular character, who undergoes rigorous training to avenge the murderers responsible for his family’s deaths. His quest leads him deep into the criminal underworld.
Raayan features a stellar cast, including S.J. Suryah, Prakash Raj, Selvaraghavan, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar and Saravanan, among others.
The music is composed by A.R. Rahman, with cinematography by Om Prakash and editing by Prasanna GK.
During the audio launch, Dhanush also revealed that Rahman agreed to do the film at a time when he was working on 30 other films.
“When I called Rahman sir, I informed him that this was my 50th film and wished to see the tag “An AR Rahman Musical’ along with it,” said Dhanush.
“He asked me to give him two days to respond. When he called back, Rahman sir told me he was working on as many as 30 films at that moment. ‘It’s a very tough yes, but I am giving you a yes,’ he said. ‘I will always cherish the memories of working with you’.”
Actor Suryah said he was impressed with Dhanush’s direction, explaining how the actor-director is heavily focused on everything inside a frame. He added that Dhanush handled the lighting, looks, sets and everything else, involving himself in every aspect of the process.
Dhanush is one of the most multi-talented personalities in Indian cinema, as he has proven his mettle in various areas of filmmaking including direction, singing and acting. So, all eyes are on him and if Raayan will click.
Ticket bookings commenced a few days ago, and the movie is showing terrific momentum in ticket sales. Raayan’s pre-sales surpassed the Rs2 crore ($321,000) mark in Tamil Nadu and is all set to open in double digits in the South.
Karnan (2021) is so far the biggest opener for Dhanush with Rs10 crore gross in Tamil Nadu. But, looking at the advance ticket sales, Raayan is expected to go past Karnan’s opening day numbers by a good margin.
In the Telugu states, there isn’t much hype for the film, and the box office performance of the Telugu dubbed version depends entirely on word of mouth. Raayan is also releasing in Hindi simultaneously.
