The trailer of classic film "16 Vayathinile" (At the age of sixteen), starring Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth, was launched at a grand event at Kamala Cinemas in Chennai.
Superstar Rajinikanth. Kamal, film's director Bharathiraja, Bhagyaraj, Parthipan, producer Rajkannan and the movie's PRO Chithra Lakshmanan are among others who attended the event and launched the trailer. They shared their experiences about working in the film. "I told Rajinikanth that I was making an art film and asked how much salary he expected. He asked me for five thousand rupees. I finally fixed it for three thousand, but gave him only two thousand five hundred rupees," Behindwoods quoted director Bharathiraja as saying during the event.
It was in 1977 when "16 Vayathiniley" was released and became one of the cult Tamil films. The success of the film helped the lead actors - Rajini, Kamal and Sridevi - to attain stardom in the industry.
The film, which marked Bharathiraja's directorial debut, completed 175-day run at the box office. After 36 years, "16 Vayathinile" has been restored in a digital format and is all set to have a re-release by the end of this month.
There has been a clear trend in the industry to bring back classic films to theatres. Even as Rajini and Kamal were presiding over the trailer launch of "16 Vayathiniley", their other hit film "Ninaithale Inikkum" was released in theatres, including a multiplex, on Friday (4 October).
Apart from these films, Sivaji Ganesan's 1959-classic "Veerapandiya Kattabomman" and Kamal Haasan's 2003-hit flick "Anbe Sivam" are likely to hit the screens by next year.