A low-key countdown for the ensuing release of Tamil 'superstar' Rajnikant-starrer 'Kuselan' began with distribution of cool drinks to motorists, the film's distributors said Saturday.

R. Venkatakrishnan, chief operating officer of the movie's worldwide distributors Pyramid Saimira told that it began with the distribution of cool buttermilk from the star's marriage hall in the south western suburbs here by the star's fans' association.

'Everything depends on several parameters like the length of Rajni's role because he is only making a guest appearance.

Costs of publicity, number of prints for Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, rest of India and abroad, logistics to prevent piracy need to be worked out. However, as showbiz works on big rumours, fantastic figures like a Rs.640 million deal, 700 print release, July 18 release etc. are being bandied about,' he said.

The actual release date will be known only in the second week of June. One must remember that Shivaji, the last full length Rajnikant film was released with less than 400 prints worldwide, he added.

Industry insiders, however, said the good-Samaritan deed is the result of press reports that said journalists and fans had been on the wrong end of the stick during the movie's recently concluded shooting schedule in Coimbatore district.

A Tamil newsmagazine claimed that the worst sufferers were those who owned mobile phones with cameras that were confiscated by the hundreds after assaults by the actor's security personnel, a charge Rajnikant's publicists deny.

'There were a few stray instances of cameras being confiscated till the persons in question were at the spot. Rumours of journalists and fans being beaten up are baseless. On the contrary, Rajni agreed to several keepsake photos for the fans clicked on their mobiles,' a publicist said.