Superstar Rajinikanth has revealed what he considers the one missing element in his upcoming film Jailer 2: a song featuring Tamannaah Bhatia. Speaking at the film’s Super Show while promoting the release, Rajinikanth disclosed that he personally asked director Nelson Dilipkumar to include a Tamannaah number — a callback to ‘Kaavaalaa’, her breakout song from the first Jailer, which became one of the film’s highlights.

“The only missing element in Jailer 2 is Tamannaah. I told Nelson to keep one song for Tamannaah,” the actor said. Nelson’s response was firm: he could not include a song simply because the superstar wanted it.

Doing what audiences love

Rajinikanth was quick to clarify that it was not about personal preference. He told the gathering that if he had simply done whatever he liked, he would have become irrelevant long ago. He remains relevant, he said, because he keeps doing what audiences are loving — a reminder of the audience-first instinct that has sustained his decades-long career.

At the same event, Rajinikanth reminisced about his life before cinema, saying that even after decades of stardom, he still misses his job as a bus conductor. He worked as a conductor for five years in the 1970s, and the connection runs deeper than nostalgia — it is, by his own account, part of his identity. He said memories of that era resurface every time he visits Bengaluru, where he worked the job: whenever he sees a bus, he feels happy.

About Jailer 2

Jailer 2, directed by Nelson Dilipkumar and produced by Kalanithi Maran under Sun Pictures, releases worldwide on October 15. The sequel features Rajinikanth as Tiger Muthuvel Pandian alongside S.J. Suryah, Vidya Balan, Mithun Chakraborty, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Ramya Krishnan, Yogi Babu and Mirnaa. Nora Fatehi makes her Tamil debut with the special number ‘Bindaas’. The film has received a U/A 16+ certificate with a runtime of 165 minutes.