Shivaji in Hindi this Diwali!

By: Settu Shankar
Tuesday, August 28, 2007

The overwhelming response from the north Indian audience for the Rajini starrer Tamil blockbuster Shivaji, has forced its producers to dub the film in Hindi. AVM Productions will release the Hindi version of Sivaji - The Boss for this Diwali in a grand manner.

The CEO of AVM productions said, "Shivaji will be dubbed in Hindi as the response for the film in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and other major cities outside south India has been overwhelming. To cater to the Hindi audiences, some portions of the film will be re-shot, and the superstar has also accepted to allot a week from his busy schedule for this shoot. It is expected that the superstar will dub in his own voice for the Hindi version also..."

However, Babu said that the length of the film will be reduced to two hours and forty five minutes from the existing three-hour duration, as most of the Bollywood films do not exceed the time limit of 160 minutes. "But as per the requirement, some scenes might be retained as in the original. Rajinikanth is now a universal star, and language, as well as the age group, are not the barriers as far as he is concerned. Whether it is a Chinese, a Korean, or a Japanese fan, one can still enjoy his style and action..." Babu said.

Swanand Kirkire is penning the dialogues for the dubbed version. The dubbing work is expected to be completed before the end of October. The film, which is likely to be released by November before or after Diwali, will be screened in not less than 400 theatres across the country.

Sivaji - The Boss is still running successfully in over 26 theatres in Chennai and its suburbs (10 in the City and 16 in the suburbs). It was released in more than 600 theatres across the state on the 15th of June, while the Telugu version was released in 350 theatres in Andhra. In Kerala, the film was screened in more than 86 theaters. The overseas release of the film created a new record for any Indian movie.