Jailer Director Nelson Dilipkumar Reveals How He Convinced Rajinikanth To Shoot The Smoking Scene

Rajinikanth, true to form, delivered one of the biggest pan-India hits from last year, Jailer. It had released in theatres back on August 9 last year. As per a Sacnilk report, the film's domestic collections came in at ₹348.55 crores with its worldwide collections standing at ₹604.5 crores.

Nelson Dilipkumar revisits Rajinkanth's smoking scene from Jailer

In a recent conversation with Behindwoods, Nelson Dilipkumar opened up about the long-winding process to get Rajinikanth to agree to film the smoking scene in Jailer. The director also admitted that the scene in question makes for one of his most loved scenes from the film. 

He said, "I like the lighting, mood, and Rajni sir’s style in it. After this shot, I told my DOP i.e. cinematographer that he had done a great job." Not just this, he shared how the shot was only brought to life a mere ten days before wrapping up filming for Jailer. Speaking about the reference photo which inspired the shot, Dilipkumar called it "total fire". The director revealed that he had the photo on his phone and used to keep looking at it for inspiration. Rajinikanth also came around to the sentiment, ultimately giving in to the director's request. Not just Dilipkumar, but the audience too immensely appreciated how the scene ultimately turned out.

What is next for Rajinikanth?

Rajinikanth is currently wrapping up his next, Vettaiyan, originally tentatively titled Thalaivar 170. Directed by TJ Gnanavel, the film will feature Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth sharing screen space after a gap of more than thirty years, their last collective release having been the 1991 film Hum. Following this, Rajinikanth will commence work on Thalaivar 171, set to be helmed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, who last directed the Thalapathy Vijay starrer, Leo.

Jailer is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.