He then said how he was shy to do a duet initially with Simran, explained that Petta is a commercial film that everyone could watch and enjoy. Later, I heard that she was interested in the role and I am happy she is onboard.вЂќ Initially, I was hesitant because she is a big actor and I was not sure about her doing a role with no song and not much footage. He said PettaвЂ™s female lead, Trisha, has not changed with success. He is a kid at heart and I wish he would just act and be happy, and not produce.вЂќ вЂњIn my experience of 30 to 40 years, he is a very nice guy. He also spoke of Sasikumar, who will play the role of Mallik in Petta. He has done this role in an interesting, unique manner too.вЂќ вЂњI donвЂ™t have to say much about Siddiqui. He spoke about the villain of the film, played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui. After a long time, I had the experience of working with someone like him.вЂќ I have seen his films and realised that he was a good actor, but only after I got to know him on the sets did I realise that he was not just a good actor but a great one. Then they asked me how about Vijay Sethupathi, and I was unsure if he would say yes but he did. вЂњWhen they told me about this one character called Jithu, I couldnвЂ™t picture anyone doing it. Rajini also praised the rest of the cast, specifically Vijay Sethupathi. The actor started by praising the filmвЂ™s producer, Kalanithi Maran of Sun Pictures, with whom he has earlier worked in Enthiran. KarthikвЂ™s sense of screenplay and his talent with storytelling is his weapon of choice, just as Shankar has now come to be associated with big-scale cinema.вЂќ вЂњThey used to playfully discuss everything, and yet remain true to the direction of the story. It was possible for me to do all of that at the age of 69 because of my unit.вЂќД¬alling Karthik a soft-spoken man, Rajini said he felt the shooting went like a cricket game with everyone delivering what was asked of them. You all know he is a big fan of mine, so when he spoke about each shot, it was everything that the fans wanted to see me doing. He said, вЂњKarthik took to me back to the 80s and 90s with this film. At the audio launch of the film on Sunday, Rajini called Petta an action-packed film that has been treated realistically. Trade analysts predict that the competition will only be a lose-lose situation for distributors, and are advising the makers of both the movies to avert box office clash.Actor Rajinikanth - who is enjoying a successful box office run with 2.0 - is now looking forward to the release of Petta, directed by Karthik Subbaraj. The film will clash with Ajith's Viswasam at the box office. Petta is all set to release on Pongal 2019 (January 15).

Similarly, Bobby Simha also picked up his own role after reading the script. The director revealed that years ago Vijay Sethupathi told him that he would act as the villain if Karthik ever directs Rajinikanth in his career. When I narrated the script to him (Rajinikanth), he said 'only I can do this. In Indian cinema, Rajinikanth is the only actor who wholeheartedly appreciates others' work.'

Back then, I have wondered if Thalaivar would appreciate if I make movies. He said, 'Working with Rajinikanth sir was like a dream. The Pizza director said that Rajinikanth has always been a part of his life from his childhood.

Petta audio launch