Rajinikanth and director Shanmugam Shankar have started production on “Robot 2” (“Enthiran 2”,) the sequel to their 2010 science fiction hit “Enthiran” that grossed $43 million worldwide.

The film will see 65-year-old Indian superstar Rajinikanth return in the roles of the scientist Vaseegaran and his creation, the robot Chitti.

The film’s estimated budget is $60 million, making it India’s most expensive film, surpassing the $50 million budget of 2015 hit “Baahubali.” Lyca Productions and Ayngaran International, reteaming after 2014 hit “Katthi,” are producing the film.

Bollywood star Akshay Kumar (“Airlift”) will play the antagonist in the film. It was rumoured that Arnold Schwarzenegger would play the role, fuelled by his appearance at the music launch of Shankar’s last release “I” at Chennai in 2014. Amy Jackson, one of the leads in “I” will also star in “Enthiran 2”.

A.R. Rahman and Resul Pookutty, both Oscar winners for “Slumdog Millionaire,” will compose and sound design respectively. The script is by Shankar and Jayamohan (“Kadal”). Hollywood visual effects outfit Legacy Effects (“The Revenant”) is also on board the project.

Rajinikanth’s next release will be mob drama “Kabali” in 2016.