Rajni fans throng theatres as "Sivaji" bookings open

Chennai, Jun 10 (UNI) Advance bookings for Superstar Rajnikanth's much-awaited film ''Sivaji'', to be released on June 15, opened in the theatres in Tamil Nadu today.

Die-hard fans of the actor were eagerly waiting for the film release, which had a lot of expectations, after Rajni's previous magnum opus ''Chandramukhi'' under the banner of Sivaji Productions, it turned out to be runaway hit and had re-established him as the number one actor in Kollywood.

The big-budget film Sivaji is produced by renowned AVM Productions and directed by K Shankar, known for his grandiose picturisation. Acclaimed Music Director A R Rahman has composed the music for the film.

The film would be released world-wide on the same day. It would be screened in 15 theatres in Chennai city alone, AVM sources told UNI.

The Rajni Fans' associations in different parts of the city have issued coupons to its members, who could exchange it for ticket at the theatres for the shows on the first day.

Reports from across the State indicated that tickets for the first week have been sold out in all the theatres and the film might turnout to be the most expensive film ever made in the country.

In the lead role, Rajnikanth would pair with Shreya and the film had been in the making for the last 19 months.

The pre-release hysteria surrounding ''Sivaji'', which is Rajni's 100th Tamil film (he had acted in more than 150 films) has reached a crescendo.

A festive atmosphere prevailed in various theatres where the film, extensively shot abroad, would be released, as the fans vied with each other for the first day first show tickets.

Traffic snarls were reported in front of several theatres and policemen were deployed in large numbers to regulate the crowd.

Police sources told UNI