Kollywood is abuzz over a lighthearted birthday clip. RKFI put together a polished little tribute to the director that has some fans convinced he is the one to be helming the Thalaivar’s next. Nothing has been put in writing, but the way it was done has them reading between the lines.
Why one video made a difference
The piece from the Kamal Haasan-run banner was not just a way to wish him well. It had the same visual feel as the Thalaivar173 promo did, and with a fanbase like this, they are quick to spot when something is not left to chance.
Then again, after a first look and then nothing for a while, this is the most you have seen in months. The hush has made the current talk all the more pronounced.
A case of the director’s chair changing hands?
Thalaivar173 has been through the ringer. Sundar C was on board to start with before he called it quits, saying the pressure was too much. Cibi Chakravarthi was the next in line, but the quiet that set in left some to wonder if he was still in the mix.
Now with Ashwath’s name in the air for some time, the latest from RKFI seems like a soft pass. Those in the know are taking it as a sign of a new course, pending an official word from the studio.
The one Rajinikanth couldn’t let go of
Ashwath has been open about a script he once put in front of the superstar. He put in a month’s work on it and, as he tells it, Rajinikanth was so into it he put off lunch in the middle of the pitch to hear more. He even had kind words for the villain in the story.
They went so far as to talk about who to put in the bad guy’s shoes. For one reason or another, it didn’t happen. But he says RKFI were on to it and it will see the light of day down the road.
What makes him the right fit at this point
If you have seen Oh My Kadavule or Dragon, you know he can put a high-concept idea to an emotional core. In a mass film looking to be something of a reinvention, he can bring some new life to it without losing the showmanship.
There is also a thread to pull on. Some of the noise now is tied to a Pongal 2027 offering he had in mind for Rajinikanth. If the video is a nudge in that direction, the team may be giving Thalaivar173 a fresh backbone.
And what of STR 51?*
Fans have a practical question: what about his other commitment? There is STR 51, a fantasy rom-com with Silambarasan in the ‘God of Love’ hat. After he is done with Arasan, he is to get to work on it; he has said the title will have an ‘I’ in it.
We don’t have the full story on the plot or the rest of the cast. Nor do we know if he would be able to wrap up STR 51 before the Rajinikanth one, should he be confirmed for it.
The state of play
Rajinikanth has not yet put pen to paper on what is being called Thalaivar173. This video has put the focus back on a movie that has been a bit of a enigma for the public and the marketing side of things.
No one has been put forward as the director in any formal sense. But the way the studio has saluted Ashwath has turned a lot of “maybe” into “almost” among the fans.
Here is what they are making of it:
– A birthday video from RKFI for Ashwath
– Done in the style of the Thalaivar173 reveal
– No one has been named on record
– We saw a first look some time ago
– Sundar C bailed, ‘pressure was overwhelming’ he said
– Cibi Chakravarthi is up in the air
Bottom line**
It is hard to argue with the effect of a well-timed birthday wish. It has given Thalaivar173 a face. If Ashwath is in, you can count on a change of tone that doesn’t lose the Rajinikanth factor.
Of course, until we have it in black and white, it is just a good-natured provocation. But when a studio greets a director in the very language of your film, it is more than just a party. It is a statement.
