Younger generation forgetting Indian tradition, culture: Rajinikanth

Dubai, Oct 28 (IANS) Megastar Rajinikanth, who attended the grand audio launch of his upcoming 3D sci-fi entertainer "2.0" with the cast and crew here, said he feels sad that the younger generation of India is forgetting our culture and tradition.

Hosted by filmmaker Karan Johar, actor Rana Daggubati and RJ Balaji, the audio launch of the S. Shankar directorial took place at the Burj Park here on Saturday.

The event was also attended by actors Akshay Kumar and Amy Jackson, and Rajinikanth's family including his wife Latha, daughters Aishwarya and Soundarya, and son-in-law and actor Dhanush among others.

When Karan asked about things that he like and hate in people today, Rajinikanth, dressed in all black ensemble, replied: "What I like is that they are obliged and humble. What I don't like is that the younger generation is slowly forgetting our own tradition and culture. That's sad. They should not do this. They should enjoy it and should never forget our culture and tradition."

Rajinikanth, who has been a pivotal part of the Indian entertainment industry for over four decades, said that he considers everything that he has achieved as "a gift from God".

While the songs of "2.0" were leaked hours before the commencement of the event over YouTube and other streaming platforms, that didn't spoil the audio launch, which witnessed power-packed performances by Amy, Akshay and the film's music director A.R. Rahman.

Earlier, Rahman stated that the film will have three songs -- out of which two tracks, "Endhira Logathu Sundariye" and "Raajali" ("Mechanical Sundariye" and "Rakshassi"), were released on Friday.

Speaking at the event, Latha said: "It's a very big moment for me. I am very proud of my husband. I wish to salute him for his hard-work in '2.0'. Also, I want to give my best wishes to Amy, Rahman, Shankar and all others who have made this project possible."

A sequel to the 2010 Tamil blockbuster "Enthiran", the film "2.0" has been made on a lavish budget. Akshay will be essaying the prime antagonist in the film as an eccentric scientist called Richard, while Rajinikanth returns as scientist Vaseegaran.

While actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was seen romancing Rajinikanth in the first film, "2.0" will have Amy as the superstar's love interest.

The film is slated for a release in early 2018.