CHENNAI: If director K S Ravikumar had gotten his way, Lingaa may have ended up being named Venkaiyaa. Speaking at an epic function organised to launch the film's audio on Sunday, Ravikumar revealed, "I came up with this name and suggested it to him. He said it was nice, but wanted something more forceful. A few days later, he called me and said 'Why don't we name it Lingaa?' I agreed," he said.
#ksravikumar and @superstarrajini #lingaa team killing it at @SPIcinemas @NewIndianXpress pic.twitter.com/hz0KEUsgm5
— Daniel Thimmayya (@danny_thimmayya) November 16, 2014But there was a hitch. When they tried to register the film's titles, they realised that it had already been pre-booked, sealed and renewed - by none other than Ameer, who has directed films like Paruthiveeran. "I couldn't call Rajini sir back and tell him that the title had been taken, so I gave Ameer a call. When I explained the situation to him, his response really surprised me," revealed Ravikumar, with a wide smile. Ameer apparently said that he was a huge fan and that it would be an honour to hand the title over, "Just send the paperwork over and tell me where to sign," he said, over a title that he had held for over four years.
And thus, Lingaa was Rajinikanth's. Incidentally, Lingaa is the name of Rajinikanth's grandson - the son of Dhanush and Aishwarya - which may have been why he liked the title, "You may wonder why he chose that title. When he was sick and ailing, the only reason why he recovered was because his grandsons Lingaa and Aryan gave him a reason to come back up to his 'normal' speed," explained the director who possibly knows him best, S P Muthuraman.
