The cost of Ocher Studios-Adlabs-Warner Bros venture Sultan, The Warrior featuring an animated Rajnikanth in a full length 3D movie touched Rs.600 million, said sources from its financier Exim Bank on Saturday.

"The costliest movie in Indian film history is expected to generate business of at least Rs.2.25 billion going by the interest indicated by the distributors following the distribution of over 1,500 prints of its second promo in cinemas," a source told IANS.

"It began as a small Rs.60 million venture, but the unprecedented success of Shivaji last year saw it zoom past Rs.220 million and has now touched ten times its original envisaged cost," another source acquainted with the deal revealed.

While Ocher Studios is owned by Saundarya, daughter of superstar Rajnikanth, Adlabs is owned by Anil Ambani.

Tamil actor Ajith Kumar has been signed to play a key role in Ocher Studios' untitled solo maiden venture, Saundarya told reporters on Saturday.

Work on the Ocher-Warner Bros joint venture, a sequel to Kumar's latest hit Billa (third remake of 1978 Hindi hit Don) will begin in April next year, its publicists added.

Meanwhile, a low-key countdown for the ensuing release of Rajnikant-starrer Kuselan began with distribution of cool drinks to motorists, the film's distributors said on Saturday.

R. Venkatakrishnan, chief operating officer of the movie's worldwide distributors Pyramid Saimira told IANS that it began with the distribution of cool buttermilk from the star's marriage hall in the south western suburbs here by the star's fans' association.

"Everything depends on several parameters like the length of Rajni's role because he is only making a guest appearance. Costs of publicity, number of prints for Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, rest of India and abroad, logistics to prevent piracy need to be worked out. However, as showbiz works on big rumours, fantastic figures like a Rs.640 million deal, 700 print release, July 18 release etc. are being bandied about," he said.

The actual release date will be known only in the second week of June. One must remember that Shivaji, the last full length Rajnikant film was released with less than 400 prints worldwide, he added.

Industry insiders, however, said the good-Samaritan deed is the result of press reports that said journalists and fans had been on the wrong end of the stick during the movie's recently concluded shooting schedule in Coimbatore district.

A Tamil newsmagazine claimed that the worst sufferers were those who owned mobile phones with cameras that were confiscated by the hundreds after assaults by the actor's security personnel, a charge Rajnikant's publicists deny.

"There were a few stray instances of cameras being confiscated till the persons in question were at the spot. Rumours of journalists and fans being beaten up are baseless. On the contrary, Rajni agreed to several keepsake photos for the fans clicked on their mobiles," a publicist said.

Indo-Asian News Service