Rajinikanth’s ‘Jailer 2’ special pan-India appearances: Who is the pick of the lot?

(Spoiler alert: This piece contains names and details about ‘Jailer 2’ after its first screening)

Rajinikanth’s Jailer 2is among the most-anticipated films of the year. Directed by Nelson, it is the sequel to his successful 2023 film, Jailer, which told the story of a diligent retired cop, Tiger Muthuvel Pandian, who is forced to make some calls when his son gets mysteriously kidnapped.

Those who have already watched the first part of the film (currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video) will already be familiar with Muthuvel Pandian’s world and how he reacts when trouble comes knocking at his doors. Fans will already be aware of the climax where Rajinikanth is forced to kill the antagonist Varman (played by Vinayakan) and his own son, Arjun Muthuvel (played by Vasanth Ravi).

Can he lead a normal life with his family after these events? He can – but when trouble comes knocking, he still needs help from the outside world. We take a look at the special appearances in this pan-India film and see if it made an impact.

Hrithik Roshan

The biggest surprise of Jailer 2 is undoubtedly Hrithik Roshan, whose appearance was mostly kept under wraps by the production house. In the film, he plays Roddy, someone who has a key stake in rescuing Jailer at a crucial time. For fans of cinema, this is a Kollywood-meets-Bollywood moment, one that gives a high at a crucial juncture in the plot. For Hrithik, this is likely to be an emotional moment – for he played Rajinikanth’s 12-year-old adopted son in 1986 film Bhagwaan Dada, which was produced by Rakesh Roshan. Bollywood cameos in Rajinikanth films is not new to Tamil audiences; in fact, quite recently, they saw Aamir Khan in a cameo in the 2025 film Coolie, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj.

Vidya Balan

This isn’t a surprise, but it’s still nice to see Vidya Balan appear in a full-fledged role in a Tamil film, just like how it is to see Jackie Shroff in action yet again. As Kaantha, she is among the antagonists. While her character in Jailer 2 might not rank among her best, the fact is that she has made inroads into Tamil cinema, where she was once labelled a “jinx”. Vidya Balan was once considered for a few projects in the early 2000s, but was later replaced by other names. There’s now news that Vidya is soon acting in another Tamil film. We cannot wait.

Mohanlal

The Malayalam superstar has just a few scenes in the second installment, but does add value with some star power. While Jailer in 2023 was the first time he shared screen space with Rajinikanth, Mohanlal has had a good tryst with Tamil films. Besides acting with leading stars like Vijay and Suriya in Jilla and Kaappan, Mohanlal’s performance in Mani Ratnam’s Iruvar (1997) is still memorable to many fans.

Shivarajkumar

Rajinikanth and Kannada star Shivaarajkumar, two of the biggest stars of their respective industries, have been good friends for years, and the Jailer franchise has them in a similar capacity. In Jailer 2, it is upto Muthuvel Pandian to repay Narasimha’s help. Does director Nelson do justice to this arc? The world seems a little divided.

Vijay Sethupathi

He appears for barely a few seconds, but his appearance in Jailer 2 leaves an open door for Nelson and team. Who is this person and why is he close to the antagonists? It’s an angle they will probably explore in the third installment of Jailer, if that ever gets made. Bear in mind that Vijay Sethupathi and Rajinikanth have already locked horns in the 2019 hit Petta, directed by Karthik Subbaraj. But then, director Nelson already has a dream project in hand – the one featuring the two biggest Tamil superstars, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. Will he finish that or write Jailer 3?