After
the
blockbuster
Shivaji,
when
the
whole
industry
was
abuzz
with
talks
about
the
film's
impressive
theme
and
the
treatment,
Superstar
Rajinikanth
accepted
his
friend
Srinivasan's
invitation
and
attended
a
special
screening
of
the
Malayalam
movie
Katha
Parayumbol.
Absolutely
impressed
with
the
theme,
Rajini
wanted
to
take
up
the
Tamil
remake
and
was
willing
to
act
in
the
role
of
the
Mammootty
in
the
original.
Without
further
delay,
he
called
Srinivasan
and
from
that
moment,
the
project
began
to
take
shape.
Titled
Kuselan
in
Tamil
and
Kucheludu
in
Telugu,
later
renamed
Kathanayakudu,
Rajini
chose
the
experienced
and
wise
P.
Vasu
as
the
director
of
the
remake.
K.
Balachander's
Kavithalaya
took
over
the
production.
Needless
to
say,
Rajinikanth's
presence
in
the
project
galvanized
the
whole
team
into
swift
activity.
Though
a
remake,
the
plot
has
been
modified
suitably
to
suit
the
tastes
of
the
Tamil
and
Telugu
audiences.
It
is
also
understood
changes
have
been
made
to
amplify
and
expand
the
role
of
the
Superstar;
as
a
result,
Rajni
appears
in
over
50%
of
the
film,
though
he
is
not
the
hero.
The
theme
of
the
film
is
simple:
Balan
(Pasupathy)
is
a
barber
who
lives
a
hand-to-mouth
existence
in
his
village
with
his
wife
Sridevi
(Meena)
and
three
children.
A
secret
love
affair,
elopement,
subsequent
marriage,
fatherhood
and
poverty
have
pushed
the
barber
to
the
brink
and
he
is
absolutely
vanquished
by
the
crushing
weight
of
his
failure
to
fulfill
his
responsibilities.
And
Balan
is
a
man
who
just
cannot
dupe,
lie,
or
commit
fraud.
So
without
knowing
any
means
to
make
extra
money,
Balan
struggles
to
cope
with
life
and
demands
of
the
family.
Each
and
every
day
poses
a
mighty
challenge
to
him;
there
is
no
money
to
pay
the
children's
school
fees,
absolutely
no
money
for
everyday
expenses,
food
and
clothing.
As
if
all
these
are
not
sufficient
to
stir
trouble,
his
business
also
goes
through
a
dull
period.
Deprived
of
caring
friends
and
relatives
on
whom
he
can
rely
for
help
and
support,
Balan
struggles
through
life
daily,
getting
on
with
the
business
of
living,
trying
to
make
sense
of
life,
trying
to
do
his
job,
to
keep
his
wife
and
children
fed
and
clothed.
At
this
critical
juncture,
Balan
comes
to
know
that
Superstar
Ashokraj
(Rajinikanth)
is
visiting
the
village
in
connection
with
the
shoot
of
his
latest
film.
As
soon
as
he
receives
news
about
the
shooting,
an
enthusiastic
Balan
reveals
the
precious
piece
of
information
that
-
Ashok
is
his
childhood
friend.
Coming
to
know
about
the
connection,
Balan's
wife
and
children
yell
with
joy
as
if
they
have
won
the
lottery
overnight.
Also,
armed
with
the
foresight
and
thoughtfulness
of
a
dutiful
mother,
Sreedevi
urges
her
husband
to
extract
maximum
advantage
of
the
connection.
Balan,
a
man
of
great
self-esteem
and
individuality,
is
taken
aback
by
the
shrewd
suggestion.
Though
he
and
Ashok
had
enjoyed
a
good
friendship,
he
does
not
want
to
temper
the
purity
of
the
first
meeting
after
all
these
years
by
asking
for
a
personal
favour.
Needless
to
say,
Balan
is
also
awed
by
Ashok's
Superstar
airs
and
is
not
sure
whether
he
would
even
recognize
the
poor
barber.
So
what
happens
next?
Do
Ashok
and
Balan
meet?
Does
Ashok
agree
to
help
them
out?
Does
he
fulfil
Sreedevi's
expectations,
showering
fortune
on
them?
Or
is
he
the
cool,
reserved
star
who
considers
himself
several
notches
above
the
poor
barber's
social
status?
Does
he
feel
ashamed
to
acknowledge
his
friendship?
Kuselan/Kathanayakudu
has
captured
an
emotional
explosion
at
this
point
in
the
narrative.
Wait
and
watch!
It
is
a
Superstar
film,
one
he
has
happily
accepted!
So
obviously,
the
whole
industry
is
curious
to
enjoy
news
and
information
regarding
the
production.
Based
on
those
snippets,
it
appears
there
are
going
to
be
interesting
star-cameos
(Sneha,
Kamal
Haasan
and
so
on)
and
Vadivelu
is
going
to
appear.