I am a part of Thalaivar 169, confirms Ramya Krishnan; the Padayappa actress teams up with Rajinikanth after 23 years on Jailer

Ramya Krishnan confirmed to the press that she has been cast in a key role in Jailer. The Baahubali actor revealed to the entertainment portal Pinkvilla that she is a part of Nelson Dilipkumar's directorial, which stars Superstar Rajinikanth in the lead. Jailer will be Rajinikanth and Ramya Krishnan's first collaboration since the successful Padayappa, in which the latter played the antagonist, Neelambari. Her performance in the 1999 film catapulted her to fame. Ramya Krishnan revealed that filming started on August 10. Though she had not worked with Rajinikanth since Padayappa, she was cast in a cameo role in Baba.

Billed as a commercial entertainer, Jailer features Kannada star Shivarajkumar in a pivotal role. Hearsay is that Rocky fame Vasanth Ravi is also playing the villain. The music will be composed by Anirudh Ravichander, and the cinematography will be handled by Vijay Kartik Kannan of Doctor fame.

Jailer is produced by Sun Pictures, which bankrolled Rajinikanth's previous film Annaatthe, which was directed by Siva. Ramya Krishnan is simultaneously gearing up for the release of Liger, which features actor Vijay Deverakonda and Ananya Panday. The film, directed by Puri Jagannadh, will be released in theatres on August 25. Significant roles are, further, played by Ronit Roy, Ali, Makarand Deshpande, Shah Emtiaj, Vishu Reddy, Srinu Boddupalli, and Abdul Quadir Amin in the sports drama.

Jailer marks Rajinikanth’s 169th film. In a recent media interaction, he said he'd start shooting for the same, on either August 15 or 22. Details regarding the plot of the film, the release date, and the rest of the cast are kept under tight wraps by the makers.

Initially, team Jailer thought of shooting in Hyderabad, which didn't work. Now that the unit has been filming in Chennai, at the same place as Jawaan and Maaveeran, we could soon expect a photo to drop on social media featuring SRK, Rajinikanth and Sivakarthikeyan!

In an interview with Film Companion, Ramya Krishnan had spoken about playing a mother to heroes where there’s not much of an age difference. “I started acting with a hero, who was about 20-30 years my senior. I believe it just happened the other way around, so I'm used to this age disparity that doesn't matter. When you get into the character, your son is your son, no matter how old he is. He's my hero once I'm in the character, even if he's as old as my father. So there you have it (laughs).”

Candidly, Ramya admitted how SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali changed everything for her. “I am getting better roles, I am getting better money (laughs). I have been appreciated for my work, I am getting respect for being a good actress now, I can go on and on. Everybody who has been involved with the film has gained, in their way!”