Hrithik Roshan appears in Nelson Dilipkumar's Jailer 2, and early audience reactions suggest his cameo is one of the film's biggest crowd-pleasers.
Hrithik shows up at a crucial point in the story to help Tiger Muthuvel Pandian, played by Rajinikanth. He plays Roddy, a suave, effortlessly cool character who says Tiger helped him out 20 years ago and that he remains forever in his debt. He also speaks Tamil, which has gone down well with viewers.
Hrithik hooks his sunglasses behind his shirt collar, which instantly recalls Chulbul Pandey, the swaggering cop Salman Khan made famous in the Dabangg series. It is a style homage rather than a story link. The film then turns the tribute toward its own star. In front of Rajinikanth himself, Hrithik flicks on his sunglasses in the superstar's signature manner. It is the kind of moment that should draw whistles in theatres.
The cameo has extra weight off screen. Hrithik and Rajinikanth last shared a frame in the 1986 film Bhagwaan Dada, when Hrithik was a child actor playing the foster son of Rajini's character. Pre-release reports said Hrithik shot his portions over two days in Chennai in June, under tight secrecy, and that the two reminisced about their old days between takes. Shah Rukh Khan had been rumoured for the role earlier, but reports said he stepped back to focus on King.
The first Jailer gave no hint of a sequel. Jailer 2 does, ending with a promise that a third part is coming. The final scene features Vijay Sethupathi, and it is likely to get a big reaction from audiences. Sun Pictures has not yet announced anything officially.
Jailer 2, produced by Sun Pictures, also stars Mohanlal, Shiva Rajkumar, Mithun Chakraborty, Ramya Krishnan, Vidya Balan, SJ Suryah and Yogi Babu.
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