Stills: Rajinikanth to revisit Sivaji in 3D

Rajinikanth is back as Sivaji again, this time in the 3D version of the film.

Sivaji 3D will be the actor's first movie in the new age format. His next movie Kochadaiyaan will also release in 3D.

According to the producers of the film, the conversion of the blockbuster movie was kept a secret, even from Rajinikanth himself. He was taken by surprise when he saw the film three weeks before its trailer launch.

During the trailer launch, the actor had said, "3D is the future. It's practically difficult to make a 3D film in a regional market; to put up huge sets and shoot."

The female lead of the film, Shriya Saran, feels that the movie gave her acting career a new lease of life. "Sivaji changed my life completely. It did give me a lot of respect. It did open a lot of doors for me," she had said in a recent interview.

According to Rajinikanth, the conversion of Sivaji is at par with Hollywood films.

Sivaji was a blockbuster and one of the top earners in the year 2007.

The political thriller brought together the formidable trio of Rajinikanth, director Shankar and music composer A R Rahman.

The producers of the movie, AVM partnered with Prasad EFX, the digital wing of Prasad Labs to come up with the 3D format of the film.

The film is expected to release in mid September.