Padayappa, starring Rajinikanth and Sivaji Ganesan in the lead roles, was released across theaters on April 10, 1999. As the superstar prepares to celebrate his 75th birthday on December 12, 2025, the makers are planning a re-release of the film.
Now Rajinikanth has been seen promoting the re-release of the film and remembering the memorable moments of the shooting of the film in a video shared on his social media handle. Interestingly, the actor has also confirmed that there will be a sequel to the film, which will focus on Ramya Krishnan’s character Neelambari.
Rajinikanth confirms Padayappa 2
In the video, Rajinikanth said, “In 50 years of my career, I have never seen women breaking the gates to watch a film like Padayappa. Now, when I see sequels like 2.0 and Jailer 2, I wonder, why not Padayappa 2? The title will be Neelambari: Padayappa 2. We are discussing the story, and if it comes out well, then like Padayappa, Neelambari will also happen. It will be exciting for the audience, and I am.” Working on it.”
Furthermore, the superstar revealed that he not only wrote the story of the film but also produced it in the name of his friends. He told that the film is not available on any OTT platform because he did not want to sell it that way. Instead, he only allowed Sun Pictures to release it in theaters, as the film was entitled to a theatrical release.
Rajinikanth recalls that he wanted to cast Aishwarya Rai Bachchan instead of Ramya Krishnan
In the same video, Rajinikanth shared that he initially wanted Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for the role of the main antagonist. He said, “We wanted Aishwarya Rai to play the character of Nilambari. We tried to reach her after a lot of difficulties. If she had said yes to the film, I was ready to wait even for 2-3 years because there was a demand for that character.”
She further added, “That role needed to click, but we heard they were not interested. Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit and many others were considered. But we were looking for that strength in the eyes of the heroine to play Neelambari. We wanted arrogance in the character, and it was Ravikumar who suggested Ramya Krishnan’s name.”
Apart from the lead cast, the film also stars Soundarya, Lakshmi, Sithara, Radha Ravi and others in important roles.
