Rajinikanth's Jailer 2 building blast was real: Stunt director Chethan D'Souza

Rajinikanth's Jailer 2 arrived in theatres worldwide on October 15, with early-morning shows beginning as early as 6 am. While the film promises larger-than-life action and mass moments, stunt and action director Chethan D'Souza says the process of creating them was as much about understanding the character as it was about spectacle.In an exclusive interview with India Today Digital, D'Souza spoke about working with Rajinikanth, collaborating with director Nelson Dilipkumar and designing some of the film's action sequences. He also revealed that the explosive blast seen behind Rajinikanth in the trailer was real."The blast behind Rajini sir that you have seen in the trailer is a live blast. We have enhanced it a little bit. You are going to see the behind-the-scenes footage after the film's release. There are more such surprises in the film, not just that blast," he said. A still of the blast mentioned above, from the trailer of Jailer 2 (Photo: Sun Pictures) D'Souza also credited Nelson's clarity of vision for helping shape the film's action and its mass moments. According to him, the director knows exactly what he wants from a sequence, including the timing of an elevation moment and how the music should complement it. "The director is very clear about what he wants, his idea of mass and the timing for elevation and the music. He is clear. He used to tell me the concepts, and I would give him input. Based on that, we would come up with something different," he said.How action for Rajinikanth is designed in a filmFor D'Souza, however, designing action for Rajinikanth was not simply about making every fight bigger. The sequences were planned around the character, with an emphasis on creating a larger-than-life impact through minimal movement. "First of all, we have designed fights based on the character itself. According to that, he is fighting. The idea is to show big things with minimal movement," he explained. The action director also recalled how Rajinikanth's approach on set made the collaboration particularly comfortable. Despite his stature, the superstar would check whether he was executing the action as intended and whether the team needed any changes."When I am explaining something, the stuntman Rajini sir would ask, 'Am I doing fine? Do you need any change from my side?' Such a big man saying that is very comforting. It is not about big and small; he treats everyone as equals," D'Souza said.Who is Chethan D'Souza?Chethan D'Souza is an action director, stunt designer and fight choreographer whose work spans several Indian film industries. His credits include films such as Aavesham, Bagheera, Max, Bhairathi Ranagal and Kingdom, showcasing his work across different styles of action. He is also credited as the action director of Jailer 2.Beyond film sets, D'Souza founded CF Action Design, a team specialising in action design and stunt execution. He is also a co-founder of Chaos Faktory, a Bengaluru-based movement and action training facility. His background includes more than two decades of martial arts experience, competitive karate and training in combat and movement-based performance.- EndsMUST WATCH: