Vidya Balan Joins Rajinikanth's 'Jailer 2': Reports

After a list of superstar cameos and appearances, Bollywood actress Vidya Balan is reportedly the latest to join the sets of Jailer 2, directed by Nelson and starring Superstar Rajinikanth. According to a report on Pink Villa, Balan is said to have been impressed with the script narrated to her. She is also said to be playing a character that is bold and charismatic. She was last seen in Ajith’s Nerkonda Paarvai (2019) in Tamil. In Hindi, her last film was Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 in 2024.

After initially announcing a release in June next year, the film appears to have pushed its new release date to August 14 of 2026, coinciding with the Independence Day Holiday weekend. Actors Mohanlal and Vinayakan are both said to appear in Jailer 2. Mohanlal is expected to join the film’s sets in Goa after December 20, in what is reportedly a short three-day stint. He played the role of Rajinikanth’s friend, a gangster named Mathew, in the film’s first part.

Similarly, actor Vinayakan, who played the dreaded bad guy Varman in the first film, said during a recent press event that he would feature in Jailer 2. It is unclear at the moment if he will be reprising the same character, in what perhaps might be a flashback portion (Varman dies during the climax of the first film).

Jailer also featured much-hyped cameos by actors such as Shiva Rajkumar from Kannada cinema, Jackie Shroff from Hindi and Sunil from Telugu cinema. Meanwhile, Rajinikanth’s 1999 blockbuster Padayappa has been re-released in theatres in a newly remastered 4K version, to mark the star's 75th birthday and his 50 years in cinema. The film opened brightly across Tamil Nadu theatres, especially Chennai, where fans thronged to the screen to celebrate the Superstar's birthday. Wishing the actor on his 75th birthday, Sun Pictures recently released a video from the sets of Jailer 2.