Kollywood
Thalaivar 173 Officially Announced: Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan Join Forces; Cibi Chakaravarthi to Direct
The wait is finally over. In what is being hailed as the biggest collaboration in modern Tamil cinema, the legendary Superstar Rajinikanth and Ulaganayakan Kamal Haasan are officially coming together for the tentatively titled Thalaivar173. After weeks of rumors and a major directorial shuffle, Raaj Kamal Films International (RKFI) took to social media today to confirm that Cibi Chakaravarthi (Don fame) has been roped in to helm this prestigious project. While Rajinikanth leads the film as the protagonist, the project is being produced by Kamal Haasan and R. Mahendran under the iconic RKFI banner. This marks a historic reunion of the two doyens of Indian cinema, who last shared a professional association nearly 40 years ago. The announcement post carried the powerful tagline: Every HERO has a FAMILY, hinting at a high-octane family drama blended with Superstar-style action.The post also featured the hashtag #Arambikalama, a callback to Kamal Haasan’s famous line from Vikram, signaling the start of this monumental journey. Every HERO has a FAMILY#Arambikalama #Thalaivar173 #SuperStarPongal2027 @rajinikanth @ikamalhaasan @Dir_Cibi @anirudhofficial #Mahendran @APIfilms @homescreenent@RKFI @turmericmediaTM @magizhmandramPromo music : in-house pic.twitter.com/8s954ZIHUM— Turmeric Media (@turmericmediaTM) January 3, 2026 For director Cibi Chakaravarthi, this project is a miracle come true.Following the blockbuster success of his debut film Don, Cibi has landed the jackpot of directing his idol.In an emotional social media post, he shared: Once, a small-town boy's big dream was to meet his favourite star... today he has the biggest dream of directing his Superstar. Dreams do come true. Miracles do happen. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) The Rockstar Anirudh Ravichander is back to compose the music for Thalaivar. Having delivered consecutive chartbusters for Rajinikanth in Jailer, Vettaiyan, and Coolie, expectations are sky high for the album of Thalaivar 173. Initially, veteran director Sundar C was attached to the project in November 2025.However, he stepped down shortly after due to unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances. The transition to Cibi Chakaravarthi has brought fresh momentum to the project, with filming expected to begin shortly. The makers have locked the festive occasion of Pongal 2027 for the grand theatrical release.With the hashtag SuperStarPongal2027 already trending globally, the film is expected to be a massive Pan-Indian release.
