The sequel to Shankar’s Enthiran (2010) will only be released on January 25, in advance of the Republic Day weekend, but the battle at the box office is already heating up. After Baahubali 2: The Conclusion smashed the records set by the science fiction film, the sequel 2.0, starring Rajinikanth again and Akshay Kumar as the villain, is attempting to pull out all stops in order to get the cash registers ringing.

Rumoured to be one of two final releases for Rajinikanth – the superstar is shooting for Pa Ranjith’s Kaala, which will only hit theatres in summer 2018 – before he makes a long-promised transition into politics, the film will be released in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. It is touted to be the most expensive Indian production ever at a budget of nearly Rs 400 crore. The producer, Lyca Films, has also tied up with AA Films, of Baahubali fame, for distribution in North India.

While fans of the original and of India’s greatest superstar will be disappointed that the science fiction movie could not stick to its initially promised Diwali 2017 release, Lyca has announced a plan to keep appetites whetted and to gradually roll out information about the film. A “grand” audio launch has been planned in Dubai in October, in what the producers are calling a “3D Diwali”.