Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan avoid a clash, in secret

In a hush-hush meeting, the actors decided to release Kochadaiyyan and Vishwaroop two months apart

They've been rivals for many years. And now, when people thought there can be a clash between Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan's new Hindi-Tamil bi-lingual, the 2 have decided to influence away from each other in Mumbai and Chennai.

Apparently the 2 Tamil legends had a hush-hush meeting to tackle the rumours of an impending clash between Haasan's Vishwaroop and Rajinkanth's Kochadaiyyan.

It's now been decided that Haasan could be seen at the big screen before Rajinikanth.

Says a source, `Both the flicks were slated for a post-Diwali release. That's when the darling doyens of Tamil cinema decided to place their heads together.`

Apparently, on the meeting behind closed doors, Kamal Haasan decided to advance Vishwaroop, so there could be a transparent gap of 2 months between the 2 releases.

Says a source with reference to both the mega-stars, `Rajini sir's film continues to be undergoing rigorous post-production. Kamal sir's film is nearly ready. Kamal sir has agreed to prepone his film's release. Vishwaroop may be released in October while the tentative release for Kochadaiyyan is in December or January.`

Confirming that a clash with Rajinikanth has indeed been avoided, Kamal says, `We've made a pact to not clash. It might do no good to either people to release films together. It is because of economics that Rajini and i've not come together since our mentor K Balachander's Ninaithale Inikkum in 1979. No filmmaker can afford to cast us together, except me.`

Interestingly, Ninaithale Inikkum is being re-released as a technically enchanced digital-dolby experience.

Kamal thinks it's pointless. `I guess the lure of watching me and Rajinikanth together is the motive behind this revamped avatar of our old film. But let me warn Rajnikanth's fans that he only has a cameo in Ninaithale Inikkum. So there is no big clash between us.

And in any case, it is not certainly one of our greatest films, together or apart. It's what I'd call a potboiler which has little relevance to present-day reality. It's like Love In Tokyo (the 1960s' Pramod Chakravarty musical) if released in today's times. Ninaithale Inikkum had some hit music. And Rajinikanth had a chartbuster song, Singapore singari.`

Kamal is a huge Balachander fan. `He is by far the most efficient filmmaker India has produced within the last four decades. I consider him my guru and my mentor.

I happily served as a spotboy, choreographer and actor on his sets. In Balachanderji's Hindi film, Aaina, you'll catch me playing the clapper boy in a song. He has made a wide variety of movies. His range is as staggering as Vijay Anand, who made both Guide and Jewel Thief. On the age of 83, he's as hooked in to filmmaking as he was 30 years ago.`

Kamal feels only Balachander can bring Rajinikanth and Kamal together.

`He discovered either one of us. He's our guru. We'd both obey him, ` says Kamal affectionately.

Courtesy: Mid-Day.com