Chennai, Nov 3: Superstar Rajinikanth says he is confident that his upcoming film "2.0", a sequel to 2010 blockbuster "Enthiran", will be a "super duper" hit as everyone will connect with its message.

Braving rains on Saturday morning, scores of Rajinikanth fans gathered at Sathyam cinema in Chennai, the hometown of the 67-year-old actor, to get a glimpse of the superstar.

As he arrived on the stage during the trailer launch of S Shankar-directed film, Rajinikanth received a thunderous applause from the crowd.

"I am telling you today, take my words, it is going to be a super duper hit film," he told the crowd.

"My first congratulations to producer Subaskaran, director S Shankar. I would like to give credit to Subaskaran, who has come forward to invest nearly Rs 600 crore on this project, by not trusting on Rajinikanth or Akshay Kumar or anyone else but in one man, Shankar."

The superstar, who has collaborated with the filmmaker on a number of projects, said the director never fails to entertain the audience and meet their expectations.

"He never fails his producers, exceptions will be there. In the last 25 years he has always been improving. He is a great filmmaker, a showman, a magician, an Indian James Cameron and Steven Spielberg."

Rajinikanth described the film as a tech marvel which packs a magic and which will lead it to success.

"This film will not do well because of technical excellence or 3D or big people are involved in it and all that. Everyone puts hard work and efforts. Something will happen, some magic will work out for this film."

He further revealed that the film has a message for the audience, which is relevant in the current times.

"It is a thriller, entertainer and it has a very good international message for everyone - universe is not only for human beings but for all living creatures.

"There is a message that Shankar has in given in the film, that how modern technology is spoiling the whole universe. He has dealt with this subject with technical excellence and creativity, hats off to him," he added.

Actor Akshay Kumar is making his debut in the south cinema with "2.0" and Rajinikanth thanked him for saying yes to the project.

"It took him a lot of time to get into his character... About four to four-and-half hours to get into the costumes and he did it effortlessly. Hats off to him," he said.

During the shoot of the film, Rajinikanth was unwell at one stage but still he finished his work commitments.

"I had to wear costumes that were 10-15 kilos of body suits, I was unable to do it. I told director that I won't be able to justify it. And I will return all the advance given. It was the producer Subaskaran, who held my hand and told me that they will wait."

"2.0" will hit the theatres on November 29.

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Bengaluru: In a recent statement made by the Ministry of Finance on Wednesday, May 1, it was announced that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue collection for April 2024 has reached an unprecedented high, soaring to Rs 2.10 lakh crore. The GST collections breach the landmark figure of ₹2 lakh crore for the first time. The data revealed a 12.4% year-on-year growth in gross revenue, with net revenue (after refunds) standing impressively at ₹1.92 lakh crore, showcasing a notable 17.1% year-on-year growth.

The news sparked a conversation on social media platforms, with Indian businessman TV Mohandas Pai expressing concern over the apparent slowdown in the growth rate of GST in Karnataka. In a tweet directed at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and other key figures, Pai highlighted the worrisome trend and called for a review by the Government of Karnataka (GOK).

Responding to Pai's apprehension, the additional Chief Secretary to the Karnataka government, LK Atheeq, offered a clarifying perspective. Atheeq contested Pai's assertion, emphasizing that the figures cited by Pai pertain solely to the month of April 2024 compared to April 2023. He further provided data, presenting a comparative analysis of Karnataka's GST collection growth rate in the fiscal year 2023-24. According to Atheeq, Karnataka has witnessed an 18% growth rate in GST collection, outperforming the national average of 12%. He also juxtaposed Karnataka's growth with other states such as Maharashtra and Gujarat, both recording growth rates of 18% and 10% respectively.

Atheeq stated that when viewed in the context of the preceding fiscal year, the growth rates appear lower for all states due to the exceptionally high growth witnessed during the COVID-affected year of 2021-22.