If you manage to share the limelight along with Thalaiva in one of the posters of a movie, there must be something special about you! So that's the thing about Mani, the street-dog who will play Rajinikanth's four-legged sidekick in the upcoming movie Kaala. Ever since that poster came out, where Mani is seen sitting beside Rajinikanth, people have been inquiring about where to buy the dog. Its asking price has even gone upto Rs 2 crore! Cool, na?

However, as per a report in India Today, Mani's trainer Simon has no plans to sell his beloved dog. Mani, who has been auditioned and selected from 30 dogs by director Pa Ranjith, has been found by Simon on the streets of Chennai. Speaking to the publication, Simon said, "A lady had asked him for Rs 30,000 and then another came asking for Rs 50,000. Some even quoted Rs 1 crore and Rs 2 crore for Mani. I was really surprised. He is like family now and I won't give him away." Interestingly, Mani and Simon's camaraderie didn't start off on a good note, as the dog tried to bite the trainer in the initial stage of training. But now, he is a part of Simon's family.

Simon also revealed to India Today how Mani was chosen to be Rajinikanth's dog in Kaala. "For days together I had shown many dogs to Pa Ranjith but he was not happy with my choices. He said that he was not interested in Labrador or German Shepard. He wanted a fresh face and something Indian. It was really hard to find Mani," revealed Simon.

Kaala will not be the only movie that Mani will be seen in. The Rs 2 crore-worth dog has now four more movies in its kitty.

Kaala, which is produced by Dhanush, has Rajinikanth play a slum-lord in Dharavi who goes against a conniving politician, played by Nana Patekar. The movie is all set to release on June 7.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 04, 2018 05:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).