Some collaborations are always more special than the others. What is it about AR Rahman and Mani Ratnam that makes their work almost magical? What is it about Vetrimaaran and Dhanush that their films are so iconic? Similarly, there can be no doubt that composer Anirudh Ravichander, in a really short time, has managed to be the go-to composer for some of the biggest stars of Indian cinema, including Kamal Haasan, Vijay, Ajith Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan, and Jr NTR. But there is something really special about his bond with his uncle, who the world knows better as Superstar Rajinikanth.

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After first collaborating in the 2019 Karthik Subbaraj film, Petta, Anirudh went on to compose for films like Darbar, Jailer, and now, Vettaiyan. At the audio launch of the TJ Gnanavel film, Rajinikanth opened up about how Anirudh was roped into the project. “While we were fixing the various technicians for Vettaiyan, Gnanavel said he was 100 per cent sure that Anirudh is needed for the film. I immediately said that I was 1000 per cent sure that Anirudh is needed for Vettaiyan,” said Rajinikanth as the crowd went into raptures.

Talking about a moment when Anirudh Ravichander was hardly 3-4 years old, Rajinikanth said, “During the shooting of Mannan, Anirudh was brought to the sets by his parents. We were shooting for a song that had a throne as part of the production design. I made him sit on that throne, and took a photo. All these years later, he is indeed on the music throne.” The actor also shared how Anirudh braved a 102 degree fever to regale a 10000-strong crowd during his recent Hukum tour in the USA. “He is a rockstar. He took a tablet, stood for 2.5 hours, provided entertainment for the fans, returned to the room and slept. Once he was back in India, he started work on Devara. He is very very busy.”

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However, if you thought Rajinikanth would ask Anirudh to take it slow, the artiste in him overtook the uncle, and he said, “Yes, you must work when you can. At the age, when you have the strength, you must give it your all. Anirudh is like a son to me. Once, I went to his apartment, and saw a 10 ft photo of mine on the wall.” And the uncle in Rajinikanth took precedence this time as he said, “Ani, I don’t know how to give back this kind of love.”

Backed by Lyca Productions, Vettaiyan, which stars some of the biggest names of Indian cinema, including Amitabh Bachchan, Rana Daggubati, Fahadh Faasil, and Manju Warrier, is set to hit the screens on October 10.