Rajinikanth confirms Padayappa 2 titled Neelambari ahead of 75th birthday, 25 years after 1st film's release

Celebrating the re-release of his 1999 hit film Padayappa, Rajinikanth announced that Padayappa 2 will be titled Neelambari. Here's what he said.

When KS Ravikumar’s Rajinikanth, Ramya Krishnan, and Soundarya-starrer Padayappa was released in 1999, it became Tamil cinema’s highest-grossing hit at the time. Through the years, the film has achieved cult status, particularly for Ramya’s headstrong character, Neelambari. On the film’s re-release 25 years later, Rajinikanth confirmed a sequel to the film. (Also Read: Ramya Krishnan fights back tears while talking to Jagapathi Babu about Soundarya: ‘Never lost herself to fame’)

Ramya Krishnan and Rajinikanth played Neelambari and Padayappa in the 1999 film.

Rajinikanth confirms Padayappa 2, to be titled Neelambari

Rajinikanth released a 37-minute video in which he discusses his memories of shooting for and releasing Padayappa. Talking about the craze the film had, he says in the video, “In my 50 years of career, I had never seen women breaking gates to watch a film as they did for Padayappa.”

Then he announced a sequel for the film and said, “Now, when I see sequels like 2.0 (sequel of Robo) 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, much like Padayappa, there will be a Neelambari. It will be exciting for the audience, and I’m working on it.”

Rajinikanth stated that the film was released in the 25th year of his career, and it made him happy to work on it with friends. He said, “We didn’t give the film to any OTT or satellite. I only allowed Sun Pictures to run it. It’s the kind of film that’s meant to be watched in theatres. And now, 25 years later, you will see Padayappa on 12 December, my birthday.”

About Padayappa

Padayappa stars Sivaji Ganesan in one of his final films as Rajinikanth’s titular character’s father, Dharmalingam. Rajinikanth played Aaru Padayappan in the film while Soundarya played his wife, Vasundhara. Ramya’s Neelambari is the main antagonist in the film as a headstrong and modern woman who holds a grudge against the couple for years.

Padayappa will be re-released in theatres for Rajinikanth’s birthday. Rajinikanth and Ramya are now shooting for Nelson Dilipkumar's Jailer 2.