Rajinikanth cities Amitabh Bachchan's example to be at Cannes

Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth, who are great friends, will come together in a most unexpected way at the upcoming Cannes International Film Festival in May.

While Amitabh will represent his first Hollywood film The Great Gatsby in Cannes, Rajinikanth will be unveiling the trailer of his new film Kochadaiyaan at the fest.

Murli Manohar, co-producer of the southern film, confirmed Rajinikanth's presence in Cannes at the same time as the Big B. "It's a big moment in the history of Indian cinema. Rajiniji is as excited as a child about the way Kochadaiyaan has turned out. Technique-wise it takes Indian cinema to another level altogether. The superstar has shown the rough cut of the film to his close friends. The other day, AR Rahman saw the rough cut and was blown away," said Manohar.

Kochadaiyaan will be finally completed on July 15. The release date is to be decided by the end of May. Apparently, Rajinikanth, 62, has been advised against long air travel. But he is in no mood to stop himself from making that long journey to Cannes, where the annual movie extravaganza begins May 15.

A source close to the project said: "He is adamant on going. He has become extremely frail. But whenever anyone mentions about his delicate health to Rajiniji, he cites the example of Mr Bachchan, who has braved the most serious illnesses and done exactly what he wanted and achieved exactly where he wanted in his career."