Post SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus project “Baahubali 2”, the whole world is waiting for Rajnikanth’s ‘2.0’, sequel to the blockbuster ‘Robot,’ which is one of the most awaited flicks of 2018. Already much has been said and written about the film, its star cast and its budget that made it one of the most expensive films of all time.

As the hullabaloo of ‘Baahubali’ frenzy settles down, director Shankar is all set to own 2018 with his magnum opus ‘2.0’. Starring Rajinikanth in lead role and Akshay Kumar as the lead antagonist, the film is touted to be one of the biggest films in the history of Indian cinema and is expected to match up to SS Rajamouli’s ‘Baahubali 2: The Conclusion’.

As per reports, it looks like Rajinikanth’s ‘2.O’ easily surpassed the SS Rajamouli film in terms of its budget. If rumors are to be believed, then the ‘Robot’ sequel is being made on a budget of a whopping Rs 350 crore! Whereas Baahubali is 150 crore, this makes ‘2.O’ the most expensive Indian film of all time.

Amidst all this, currently, the Tamil film fraternity is on a strike indefinitely 30 percent tax in addition to GST.  As a result, many theaters in the state have been shut down for the past three days. There has been no response from the government as of now, and films that were scheduled to release on July 7 have been postponed indefinitely.

Supporting this move, even Rajinikanth’s 2.0 producers Lyca Productions have stopped signing on new projects as a result of additional entertainment tax. This comes just hours after Rajinikanth requested the government to reconsider its decision to levy 30 percent tax in addition to Goods and Services Tax (GST).

In fact, Kamal Haasan took to Twitter to appreciate Rajinikanth’s support and said, “Thanks, Rajni avaragaLay for voicing your concern. Let’s request first as gentlemen should. Then we shall see. @superstarrajini & TN .Govt.”

The producers of Rajinikanth’s upcoming big-budget film 2.0 directed by Shankar – Lyca Productions confirmed that they are now halting films productions as directed by their main office in London.

The creative head of Lyca Productions Raju Mahalingam wrote on Twitter, “Lyca Productions Halts Film Productions,” and attached a clip of news recording in which more details about the sudden decision to halt productions were revealed.

Keeping in mind the livelihood of Lakhs of people in the tamil film industry, I sincerely request the TN GOVT to seriously consider our plea

— Rajinikanth (@superstarrajini) July 4, 2017

Lyca Productions Halts Film Productions https://t.co/JlX3Q0OEPw

— Raju Mahalingam (@rajumahalingam) July 5, 2017

Currently, the team of Lyca Productions is promoting the upcoming film 2.0, also starring Akshay Kumar and Amy Jackson in lead roles. There are about 5 other films being directed by Lyca currently, and the halt in productions could reflect on all the films which are still in the stages of pre-production. The head office in London has decided not to take up new projects until there is clarity on the additional entertainment tax.