As Muthu gears up for re-release, here are some lesser-known facts about the Rajinikanth film

After Baba and Sivaji: The Boss (slated for re-release on December 9), Rajinikanth's Muthu is all set to hit screens on December 2. The film, helmed by KS Ravikumar, will be screened in theatres in the Telugu-speaking states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Muthu cast and crew

Muthu has an ensemble cast including Sarath Babu, Meena, Radha Ravi, Senthil, Vadivelu, Jayabharathi, Subhasri, Vichithra, Raghuvaran to name a few. Music was by AR Rahman, cinematography by Ashok Rajan and editing by K Thanikachalam.

Also Read: After Baba, Superstar Rajinikanth's THIS popular film to get a re-release

Film inspired by Thenmavin Kombath

Rajinikanth, who was quite inspired by Mohanlal and Shobana's Thenmavin Kombath, is said to have narrated a one-liner to KS Ravikumar without watching the Malayalam film. The result was Muthu. Though Thenmavin Kombath's core plot was retained, the Tamil version had many additions to the story.

Kavithaalaya Productions, which bankrolled the film, has also been sharing some lesser known anecdotes from the film.

The Japanese connection

The film recently completed 25 years of release in Japan. Muthu ran for over 182 days in Japan and set a record at the box office. Muthu was mentioned by the then Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh during his speech in the Japanese Parliament in 2006.

Rajinikanth as Indian Jackie Chan

The Japanese audience was so inspired by Rajinikanth's character that he was promoted as the Indian Jackie Chan in the country. Muthu was an action comedy and Rajinikanth's popularity as someone who could do both action and comedy, soared and spreaded to Hong Kong and Hollywood as well, according to the makers. And it's not only Rajinikanth, who basked in the film. The film's leading lady Meena was referred to as the Black eyed goddess in Japan. She was as much celebrated as Rajini after the release of Muthu.

BTS anecdote of Thillana Thillana

The song Thillana Thillana, sung by Mano and Sujatha Mohan, became a chartbuster. The song was shot on a studio floor where the background was changed every evening for the next day's shoot. The song was the most difficult one to crack, according to KS Ravikumar, as they struggled to get the right lyrics. Thillana Thillana was later adapted by Nadeem–Shravan into Deewana Deewana for the film, Jung (1996).

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