Mani Ratnam Announces New Film With Vijay Sethupathi And Sai Pallavi; AR Rahman On Board As Composer

Filmmaker Mani Ratnam has announced his next film, which will star Vijay Sethupathi and Sai Pallavi. Contrary to the reports of Sai Abhyankkar composing the film's music, AR Rahman has boarded as the music composer, marking his reunion with the National award-winning director. On Thursday, Madras Talkies, Mani Ratnam's production house, announced the upcoming project.

Mani Ratnam announces next film

On Thursday, Madras Talkies shared a joint Instagram post with Lyca Productions, Sethupathi, and Pallavi and wrote, “Delighted to welcome @sonymusic_south as the Audio Partner for #MadrasTalkiesProduction23. #Subaskaran presents. A #ManiRatnam Film. An @arrahman Musical. Produced by @lycaproductions @madrastalkies #IndiaTalkies. Starring @actorvijaysethupathi @saipallavi.senthamarai (sic).”

The details about the untitled film are kept under wraps, but reports suggest that it could be a romantic drama.

The shooting schedule and the rest of the cast are expected to be revealed soon.

Mani Ratnam and AR Rahman's collaboration

Ratnam and Rahman's last collaboration was on Thug Life in 2025, starring Kamal Haasan, Silambarasan TR, Trisha Krishnan, and Abhirami in the lead roles. Despite the stellar cast, the film failed to live up to expectations and was a box office disaster. Reportedly, made on a whopping budget of Rs 200-300 crore, the film collected less than Rs 100 crore worldwide.

Coming back to the upcoming film, it marks the first collaboration between Vijay Sethupathi and Sai Pallavi. Sethupathi had earlier worked with the Ponniyin Selvan director on Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (2018).

On the work front, apart from Mani Ratnam's film, Sethupathi has Jailer 2, Train, Slum Dog: 33 Temple Road and Arasan in his kitty. Sai Pallavi's last project was Thandel. She is making her Bollywood debut with Ek Din with Junaid Khan. The actress also has Ramayana Part 1 and Part 2 and an untitled film with Dhanush in the pipeline.