Actor Rajinikanth‘s next film, Thalaivar 168 has gone on floors earlier this morning with a puja. Helmed by director Siva, the film marks their first association together. It will be bankrolled by Kalanithi Maran under his Sun Pictures banner. The shooting of the same will reportedly commence by the end of this month.
The team took to Twitter to announce the news.
#Thalaivar168Poojai pic.twitter.com/p1c70r7PD3
— Sun Pictures (@sunpictures) December 11, 2019
After the announcement of actor Rajinikanth’s next film was made, speculations about the heroine were rife. While names like Aishwarya Rai, Sai Pallavi, Jyothika and Manju Warrier, to name a few, managed to create buzz, it has finally been revealed that National Award-winning actress Keerthy Suresh will work in the film. The actress who was last seen in Vijay starrer Sarkar will work with the superstar for the first time.
We are delighted to announce that for the first time, @KeerthyOfficial will be acting with Superstar @rajinikanth in #Thalaivar168
@directorsiva#KeerthyInThalaivar168 pic.twitter.com/sy4uba5DNd— Sun Pictures (@sunpictures) December 9, 2019
A big fan of the actor, Keerthy Suresh shared her excitement on being part of the project.
#KeerthyInThalaivar168@rajinikanth @KeerthyOfficial @directorsiva #Thalaivar168 pic.twitter.com/tNPBSxVEB8
— Sun Pictures (@sunpictures) December 9, 2019
The makers had already announced that actor Soori will be a part of the project. “Working with Superstar Rajinikanth in this film produced by Sun Pictures is a dream come true for an actor like me. A mere selfie with the actor would in itself bring one happiness and knowing that I get to play a role with the star in a film makes me feel elated. To add, director Siva who is an expert with commercial subjects is helming this film which makes it all the more special. I’m excited to be a part of this crew,” Soori said.
The latest to join the crew are actors Prakash Raj, Meena, and Khushbu. Prakash Raj was last seen with the actor as IG Subramaniam in Padayappa (1999), Meena as Ranganayaki in Muthu (1995), and Khushbu as Rekha in Pandiyan (1992).
The enduring beauty #Meena joins the cast of #Thalaivar168@rajinikanth @directorsiva pic.twitter.com/vq7RBpkZo9
— Sun Pictures (@sunpictures) December 10, 2019
Actress Meena said, “This is the first time I’ll be associating with Sun Pictures and director Siva, but a reunion of sorts with Rajini sir for which I’m really excited. The story has been penned really well and I play a jovial character in the film which the audience is bound to love. Eagerly looking forward to the shoot of Thalaivar 168.”
The evergreen actress #Khushbu joins the cast of #Thalaivar168@rajinikanth @directorsiva pic.twitter.com/32mJIsscqp
— Sun Pictures (@sunpictures) December 10, 2019
“I have kept away from Tamil films for about nine years with the sole reason to feature in a good film, and Thalaivar 168 is one such film. I have worked with Rajini sir in several films and I am extremely happy and excited to work with him again. The audience has always accepted us as a good on-screen pair and I hope they do so in this film too. It will be a different character compared to my earlier films,” said Khushbu.
While the film will have music composed by D Imman, the makers are yet to make an official announcement regarding other technicians.
Meanwhile, Rajinikanth is gearing up for his Pongal release Darbar helmed by director AR Murugadoss. The film recently held its audio launch at a popular institution in Chennai. Santhosh Sivan is cranking the camera with Sreekar Prasad on the edit and Anirudh Ravichander scoring music. The composer had previously worked with actor Rajinikanth in Karthik Subbaraj‘s Petta.
Listen to the Darbar jukebox here.
