After all the hoopla and controversy, the Rajinikant starrer Kuselan is struggling at the box office.

Though it had a bumper opening, collections plummeted in the first week, an unusual for a Rajinikant film. With this debacle, industry is wondering if Rajini’s magic is waning.

Theaters in Chennai, which are known for Rajini mania, no longer display a house full board. Kuselan has already seen a 50 per cent drop in collections. Such a drop is something unusual because usually a Rajini movie is a virtual guarantee for success in the first few weeks.

Most moviegoers rue that Kuselan is not about Rajinikant. “Sivaji was completely about Rajini so we cannot compare that with Kuselan. Here he only has a guest role,” said an ardent Rajini fan. While the super star plays only a guest role, Kuselan was hyped like a full length Rajinikant film and that many believe led to too many expectations. On top of it, Kuselan was sold at prices that rivaled Rajinikant’s super hit Sivaji.

The lukewarm response at the box office is already bringing back memories of Rajinikant’s 2002 flop Baba. Then the super star even paid back distributors for their losses but Kuselan may not be his fault entirely. The producer and the distributors are desperately hoping that the film would pick up in the next few days, at least in smaller towns and rural areas. But for the moment Kuselan looks nothing like a super hit.