Rajinikanth's
eagerly-awaited
2.0
is
arguably
the
biggest
Tamil
film
in
the
recent
times.
A
sequel
to
the
2010
blockbuster
Enthiran,
the
film
is
touted
to
be
a
sci-fi
thriller
and
features
'Thalaiva'
in
double
role.
Directed
by
S
Shankar,
it
also
features
Bollywood
star
Akshay
Kumar
and
Brit
beauty
Amy
Jackson
in
the
lead.
2.0
was
originally
supposed
to
hit
the
screens
last
Diwali,
however,
it
failed
to
keep
its
date
with
the
audience.
Thereafter,
the
makers
tried
releasing
it
on
Republic
Day
2018.
Unfortunately,
this
plan
too
went
up
in
smoke.
The
latest
buzz
is
that
2.0
will
release
in
January
2019.
However,
according
to
Sify,
the
film's
future
is
uncertain
because
of
Kaala's
unsatisfactory
performance
at
the
box
office.
With
2.0's
fate
hanging
in
the
balance,
here
is
a
look
at
the
Kaala
factor
the
and
other
reasons
behind
this
unexpected
situation.
Kaala's
Dismal
BO
Performance
Rajinikanth's
Kaala,
which
hit
the
screens
on
June
7,
2018,
fared
extremely
poorly
in
the
Hindi
belt.
Similarly,
it
could
collect
barely
Rs
7
Crore
in
the
Telugu-speaking
states.
Commenting
on
the
Hindi-dubbed
version's
performance,
a
distributor
said
that
its
collections
are
way
below
the
mark.
"The
dubbed
Hindi
versions
of
Rajinikanth's
films
have
never
been
big
successes.
Even
Robot
fared
averagely
at
the
box-office.
However,
Kaala
didn't
even
make
those
numbers," the
distributor
added.
2.0
is
a
big
film
and
it
needs
to
do
well
in
the
Hindi-speaking
states
in
order
to
become
a
success.
As
such,
the
Kaala
debacle
is
giving
the
makers
sleepless
nights.
2.0
Has
Overshot
Its
Budget
2.0
requires
some
extensive
post-production
work
and
it
seems
this
is
responsible
for
it
overshooting
the
initial
budget.
Recently,
it
was
rumoured
that
Rs
100
Crore
might
be
added
to
the
budget.
This
clearly
indicates
that
the
film
could
not
be
wrapped
up
in
the
allocated
budget.
The
increased
budget
too,
has
sent
many
exhibitors/distributors
into
a
state
of
panic.
The
Akshay
Kumar
Factor
Might
Not
Work
Akshay
Kumar's
presence
was
initially
expected
to
help
2.0
fare
well
in
the
Hindi
market.
However,
the
makers
fear
that
his
ghoulish
'crow' avatar
in
the
film
might
end
up
alienating
his
fans.
And,
this
will
go
against
the
film.
"But
he
plays
the
antagonist
with
grotesque
make-up.
That's
not
how
his
fans
like
to
see
Akshay!
His
fan
base
may
be
completely
put
off,"
added
a
source.
To
Conclude...
Kaala
was
not
a
typical
Rajini
starrer
and
its
performance
should
not
be
used
as
the
yardstick
for
judging
the
Superstar's
bankability.
2.0
is
a
purely
commercial
affair
and
will
see
Rajini
reprise
the
much-loved
Chitti
character
from
Enthiran.
As
such,
things
are
not
really
as
bad
as
they
seem.
That
said
and
done,
its
huge
budget
does
make
it
a
risky
venture.