The trailer of superstar Rajinikanth’s much-anticipated rural drama Annaatthe was released on Wednesday, October 27. Helmed by director Siva, the film features an ensemble cast, including Meena, Khushboo, Nayanthara, Keerthy Suresh, Jackie Shroff, Jagapathi Babu and Prakash Raj, among others. Annaatthe is bankrolled by Sun Pictures.
The trailer introduces us to the protagonist Kalaiayyan, the Panchayat President of Soorakottai, the place where the story takes place. Keerthy Suresh is seen playing Rajinikanth’s sister, while Nayanthara is paired opposite him as the romantic lead. Khushboo and Meena are members of the joint family. As the trailer progresses, the makers present a glimpse of the antagonists, played by Jagapathi Babu, Prakash Raj and Abhimanyu Singh. An important portion of the film is set in Kolkata.
Meanwhile, Annaatthe has been titled Peddanna in Telugu. A poster featuring Rajinikanth seated on a Royal Enfield bike with the title of the movie in Telugu, was released on October 15. “The much-awaited #Superstar @rajinikanth's #Annaatthe releasing in Telugu as “ #Peddhanna “produced by @sunpictures. Happy Dussehra Grand Release on Nov 4th! (sic),” Rajinikanth’s publicist Riaz K Ahmed wrote in a tweet.
Watch the trailer of Annaatthe here:
While the Tamil and Telugu theatrical rights were sold to Asian Cinemas, Narayan Das K Narang and Daggubati Suresh Babu have acquired the Tamil and Telugu distribution rights for the film across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Ahead of the teaser release on October 14, the makers of the film had unveiled the first single from the film titled ‘Annaatthe Annaatthe’. It was sung by the late playback singer SP Balasubrahmanyam. Rajinikanth took to social media to share his thoughts about collaborating with SPB for the last time. “During the filming of the song that SPB, the man who lived as my voice for 45 years, sung in Annaatthe, I never imagined that it would be the last song he would sing for me. My dear SPB will live on forever through his sweet voice," he tweeted.
The second track from Annaatthe, ‘Saara Kaatrae’ is sung by Sid Sriram and Shreya Ghoshal. Composed by D Imman, the romantic song features Rajinikanth and Nayanthara.
Rajinikanth recently received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and extended his gratitude to three people who played an important role in shaping his career – his mentor, the late filmmaker K Balachander, his elder brother Sathyanarayana Rao and his friend Raj Bahadur. “I thank all my producers and directors who have produced my films, technicians, artists, distributors, media, press and all my fans, and Tamil people,” he added.