Jailer 2 Crosses Rs 500 Crore as Apeksha Praises Rajinikanth

Jailer 2 has raced past Rs 500 crore worldwide within a week, cementing the Rajinikanth-led sequel as a box office force. For Apeksha Porwal, the film is more than a milestone: it marks her Tamil debut as an assassin and places her in the high-octane climax alongside Hrithik Roshan.

The Miss India Delhi winner and Miss Diva 2017 runner-up, who made her Bollywood debut with Undekhi in 2020, spoke to Filmfare about what the blockbuster taught her.

Stunts, training and a Kill Bill moment

Porwal says martial arts began as a hobby but became the backbone of her preparation. She trained five to six days a week even during the shoot, pairing weight training with swimming after wrapping for the day.

“I did my own stunts. There was no stunt double at all,” she said.

The role also gave her a chance to wield a katana, a nod to one of her favourite films, Kill Bill.

Rajinikanth’s quiet leadership

Her most lasting impression came from observing Rajinikanth. She admitted she felt spellbound as a newer actor and waited for him to speak first. What she saw, she says, was someone who greets everyone with a good morning and gives director Nelson his full attention.

“He is so down-to-earth,” Porwal said. “His greatness lies in his humility and simplicity.”

No stunt double: she performed every action beat herself.
No phones: the Tamil set banned mobiles to protect the climax from leaks.
No ego: Rajinikanth never threw his stardom around, she says.

Why the no-phone rule sticks

Porwal was surprised by the phone ban but soon saw its value. Without the risk of set photos leaking, the focus stayed on filmmaking. She compared it to the closed sets of Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarantino, where what happens on set stays on set.

She also noticed a cultural difference between the industries she has worked in. Tamil filmmaking impressed her with strict call times and punctuality, while Hindi cinema is currently taking bigger creative risks, in her view.

A pinch-me moment

Her most memorable day was performing her full action sequence in front of around 150–200 crew members while Rajinikanth, Mithun Chakraborty, S. J. Suryah, Ramya Krishnan and Vidya Balan stayed frozen in position for the shot.

Watching the finished sequence in a single-screen theatre, she said, was an experience in itself, with the crowd screaming when she appears with Hrithik.

Source: Filmfare

#Apeksha Porwal #Behind the Scenes #Box Office #Hrithik Roshan #Jailer 2 #Rajinikanth #Tamil cinema