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There are compliments and then there are compliments from Rajinikanth. At a recent event for his upcoming film Jailer 2, the superstar did something that the internet is still processing.
He openly admitted that in his view, the film was missing one crucial element. It was not a song or a scene or a stunt. He was talking about having a Tamannaah song.
“The only missing element in Jailer 2 is Tamannaah,” he said, adding that he had personally asked director Nelson Dilipkumar to include a song sequence featuring the pan-India star and entrepreneur. When Nelson pushed back with “I can’t keep it just because you like it, sir,” Rajinikanth had a response ready that said everything: “I didn’t say I like it. If I had done whatever I liked, I would have become irrelevant and gone to Bengaluru. I’m still in the field because I’m doing what audiences are loving.”
Well, read that again. When Rajinikanth, one of the most instinctive, audience-aware superstars Indian cinema has ever produced, afirms that the audience loves a Tamannaah song, that distinction matters enormously. Because what he is describing is a commercial truth that he has observed across decades of navigating the film industry at the highest level. When a man whose entire career has been built on reading what audiences want, tells his director that Tamannaah belongs in his film, that is the Tamannaah Effect being named out loud by one of the biggest names in Indian cinema.
And for Tamannaah, who starred in the original Jailer alongside Rajinikanth in 2023, a film that went on to collect over ₹650 crore worldwide, this compliment arrives right when she is basking in glory over The Vvaan’s success. Tamannaah’s latest release opened to a massive Rs 30 Cr opening weekend and climbed steady even in the following week days. She also has her upcoming slate full with Ragini 3, Maria IPS and her untitled action film with Ajay Devgn. And now Rajinikanth himself is on record saying his blockbuster sequel is missing an element that only Tamannaah can bring. Well, her lucky mascot narrative does not get a more powerful endorsement than this.
