Jailer 2023: Release date, trailer, plot, cast, budget, controversies, OTT partner and more

Tamil Superstar Rajinikanth's upcoming movie Jailer is one of the most-awaited movies of 2023. The release will kick off a season of blockbusters as many big-star movies are waiting to arrive in cinemas in the following weeks. Written and directed by Nelson, a lot is riding on the movie's success. 

Jailer is a very important movie in Nelson's career. The director became a force to reckon with in the Tamil film industry with back-to-back hits like Kolamaavu Kokila and Doctor. However, his career took a hit when Beast, starring Thalapathy Vijay, garnered poor reviews from audiences and critics alike. However, thanks to Vijay's superstardom, Beast managed to sail through negative reactions and became a profitable venture for its producers, Sun Pictures, which has also bankrolled Jailer. 

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At the audio release event, Rajinikanth revealed that he was under a lot of pressure to fire Nelson. However, he decided to go ahead with the project after he learned from the producers that Beast may have been a critical failure, but it was a clear winner at the box office. That makes Jailer a very important movie for Nelson as his whole reputation hinges on its success both commercially and critically. 

Jailer trailer:

The trailer of Jailer was released earlier this month amid huge expectations. Thankfully, the trailer has garnered positive reactions from everyone, putting the filmmakers at ease. The trailer showcased Rajinikanth as a house cat with a mysterious past. Judging from the promo video, while Rajinikanth's character Muthuvel Pandian might be biding time doing the mundane chores of his domesticated life, a few years back, he ruled the wild (read prison) with an iron fist. What made him surrender to quiet domestic life and give up a life of action and thrill? Why does he start killing again? 

Plot:

Based on the trailer, it's clear that Rajinikanth's Muthuvel is drawn back into the thick of the action when the bad guys hurt his family. The synopsis of the movie that was leaked earlier suggested that Muthuvel's son is an honest police officer, who gets taken by bad guys for doing his job right. But, those bad guys don't know he's the only son of Muthuvel. And that incident wakes up the dominant force in Muthuvel, who goes on a killing spree. The bad guys don't stand a chance now, do they? 

Cast:

Nelson has pulled off a casting coup of sorts by roping in some of the biggest names from across the Indian film industry for this movie. Besides Rajinikanth, the movie stars Ramya Krishnan, Yogi Babu, Vasanth Ravi, Redin Kingsley, Vinayakan and Jaffer Sadiq in the lead roles. And Kannada superstar Shivarajkumar and Malayalam superstar Mohanlal played key cameos in the movie. Composer Anirudh Ravichander has scored music for the movie. 

Budget:

Sun Pictures seems to have spent a fortune making Jailer. Based on the movie's trailer, Nelson has made sure every rupee spent on the making is visible on the screen. Nelson has put together a solid team of technicians and star cast and mounted it on a huge scale. The unconfirmed reports peg the movie's production cost a little over Rs 200 crore. And it could be true considering Rajinikanth's usual remuneration alone is Rs 100 crore. 

Controversies:

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The audio release event of Jailer sparked a few controversies. Fans of Rajinikanth were upset when the filmmakers began the event by playing the hit Arabic Kuthu dance number from Vijay's Beast. Many didn't approve of it as Vijay is touted to be the numero uno star in Tamil cinema who could challenge the box office supremacy of Rajinikanth . And fans of Vijay were upset with certain parts of Rajinikanth's speech, which many seem to have thought was the Superstar's sly dig at Vijay. However, it was a big misunderstanding. And of course, who's the next superstar debate resurfaced with many chiming in with their opinions. 

OTT partner:

Sun Pictures has not yet zeroed in on its digital partner. The buzz is that Netflix could be the front-runner for the movie's streaming rights. Or the production company could retain the digital rights for its own streaming platform, Sun NXT. 

Release date:

Jailer is due in cinemas on August 10. While the screening will begin in other parts of the country as early as 5 AM. In Tamil Nadu, the first shows will only start at 9 AM.