history-making in a sense, because this is the first time that a huge star has allowed himself to be the hero in a full-length animated feature. Walking out, you may find yourself wondering: Did it have to be Rajinikanth?". Overseas Sneha May Francis, writing for Emirates 24/7, praised the film stating, "Despite the lack of technical finesse, the filmmaker deserves to be applauded for taking a step towards innovation and change, and setting the ground work for Rana". However she remarked, "Rajinikanth dazzles in Kochadaiiyaan with master strokes. It is his physical presence that the audience will miss in the epic drama." Manjusha Radhakrishnan of Gulf News said, "Kochadaiiyaan might have taken a small step towards introducing Avatar-like technology into our lives, but it's no giant leap. If you have blind faith and (obsessive) love for Rajinikanth and all things animation, you may enjoy this film. For others it may prove a battle to remain glued to your seats." and rated the film 2 out of 5. J Hurtado of Twitch Film said, "Nearly all of the animated characters suffered from the same problems. Dead eyes, wonky animation, poor rendering, often they even appeared slightly out of focus on the screen. Glitches, perhaps, but the curious thing is that none of those issues affected Rajnikanth's appearance." He added, "I've been waiting for Kochadaiiyaan for years, since the film was a rumor, but with all of the hype, delays, and eventual disappointing final product, I feel that my enthusiasm was at best wasted and at worst betrayed. Rajnikanth is an international treasure, a film hero like none ever seen, and Kochadaiiyaan is a project beneath his abilities and less than he deserves." Abraham Richard of Times of Oman felt, "Despite the technical flaws Rajni and Soundarya deserve to be applauded for their daring effort and initiative for trying to push the industry to the next level. Whatever said and done this movie is worth a watch especially for the efforts put in. Kochadaiiyaan will make a mark in the history of film making in India as this is the first time that a huge star has allowed himself to be a hero in a full-length animated movie. Box office The Tamil version opened to what the Deccan Chronicle and Bollywood Hungama identified as packed houses. The film's Telugu version Vikramasimha was released in the state of Andhra Pradesh in 700 theatres,