Nelson Dilipkumar and Vijay Karthik Kannan want to re-release Jailer in black and white — but will audiences show up?
Jailer (2023) might be getting a black-and-white re-release — not as a gimmick, but as a creative pivot. Cinematographer Vijay Karthik Kannan revealed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India that director Nelson Dilipkumar has long entertained the idea of presenting the original film entirely in monochrome. The notion isn’t new.
It’s been discussed between the two collaborators since before filming wrapped. Now, with Jailer 2 already in theatres and its worldwide total nearing ₹760 crore after just 14 days, the timing feels less like idle speculation and more like a deliberate artistic reconsideration. Kannan said, “Will you believe me if I tell you that Nelson and I have been dreaming of releasing Jailer in a version that is completely in black and white?
I mean, if they could do it with Nicholas Cage’s Spider-Noir, why can’t we try something like that? Nelson is a huge monochrome man too.” The reference to Spider-Noir, a stylised, noir-infused take on the Marvel character, shows the ambition: this isn’t about nostalgia, but about redefining how audiences experience the film.
Jailer follows “Tiger” Muthuvel Pandian, a retired jailer whose quiet life unravels when his son Arjun goes missing while investigating an idol-trading network led by Varman. Determined to uncover the truth, Muthuvel draws on his past, reconnects with old allies, and confronts a personal betrayal that reshapes the mission. Set three months after the first film, Jailer 2 sees Muthuvel facing a new threat from a powerful organisation seeking revenge for Varman’s downfall.
When Dileepan, a loyal member of the group, tries to identify the architect behind the fall, he becomes part of a larger scheme orchestrated by Muthuvel himself. The conflict escalates as Muthuvel clashes with the influential Kalpak family, led by patriarch Chakri Kalpak, setting up a high-stakes showdown. Rajinikanth stars in both films alongside SJ Suryah, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Vidya Balan, Mithun Chakraborty, Ramya Krishnan, Yogi Babu, Mirnaa, and cameos from Hrithik Roshan, Mohanlal, Shiva Rajkumar, Jackie Shroff, and Vijay Sethupathi.
The possibility of a black-and-white release raises questions: will audiences embrace a reimagined version of a film that’s already become a cultural touchstone? Or is this another layer in the myth-making around Rajinikanth’s legacy? The answer may come sooner than expected, if the studio greenlights it. Until then, the idea remains a whisper between two men who’ve spent years shaping the visual language of Tamil cinema.
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