Director Nelson Dilipkumar’s Rajinikanth-starrer ‘Jailer’ was released earlier this year and grossed more than £65 million worldwide. At the Film Companion Directors Adda 2023, he opened up about the “big challenge” he faced while not only writing but also filming the project. Nelson admitted many from the Tamil film industry told him, “don’t grey Rajinikanth’s hair” in the film and asked him to make the superstar do “whatever he has done already” if he wanted ‘Jailer’ to work.
When asked if and when he had a doubt about ‘Jailer,’ Nelson said, “Throughout the writing process. What made me come out of that is Rajini sir (Rajinikanth), but not literally him. I somehow wanted to do a Rajini sir film, so when the doubt was happening, I used to convince myself 'Don't leave this project, somehow you have to do it'. While shooting also I had the same doubts. Because it is the first time I think that I made him (Rajinikanth) play his age. So that was the major doubt. A lot of people told me 'No, don't make him play his age, let him do whatever he has done already'. But I was a little confident or not confident, both, about it. I said 'Somehow, even if it fails, let it be with my gut, so whatever I am making let's make and if it fails, I will take the blame'. I didn't want someone else to confuse me.”
He added, “Knowing his (Rajinikanth's) audience, and what he did in his 50 years, it was a very big challenge... whether I can satisfy that audience because the target for me for this film was to pull the maximum audience into the theatre. So I worked around it, I knew here and there I was doing something over-the-top, but still, that's what people expect from him. That's what I also feel... Rajinism is the backbone of that film... my doubts cleared only after the film... Before starting Jailer, many people told me, 'Don't grey his hair. Don't show him in grey hair'. When people from the industry say it so confidently, it shakes me up. But after 10 days of shoot I was a little confident. I saw the scenes working, then left it to the universe.”