Chennai, March 11 (IANS): As a word of caution for superstar Rajinikanth's fans, director K.S. Ravikumar, who penned the story and dialogues of upcoming Tamil period-drama "Kochadaiyaan", says it should only be viewed as an animated film to enjoy the experience.

"Kochadaiyaan" directed by Soundarya, daughter of Rajinikanth, is touted to be India's first motion capture photo-realistic 3D animated film.

"It's very important that audience doesn't walk in expecting to watch a typical Rajinikanth film. Of course, there's Rajini in it, but in an animated form that is larger than life. His fans need to understand this before the walk in...only then will they enjoy the film," Ravikumar told IANS.

"Audience needs to understand it's a first-of-its-kind attempt. Therefore, they need to see the film as an animated feature to enjoy it to the fullest. In fact, that's why we want audiences to watch the film with their kids to enjoy the experience," he said.

Ravikumar was to direct Rajinikanth in a film titled "Rana", but the project was dropped after the southern megastar fell seriously ill a few years back.

"Kochadaiyaan" was derived from "Rana", says Ravikumar.

"When Rajini sir was hospitalised a few years back, we had shelved 'Rana'. But I worked on another story which was more like a prequel to 'Rana', and that was 'Kochadaiyaan'. When I narrated the story to him, he instantly agreed to do it," he added.

"Kochadaiyaan", slated to release April 11, also features Jackie Shroff, Deepika Padukone, Shobana, Aadi Pinisetty, R. Sarath Kumar and Rukmini in important roles.