Sharing the news on Twitter, the Vikram star wrote, "Here we go again! #KH234." AR Rahman will score music for Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam's films and will be backed by the Madras Talkies, Red Giant Movies, and Udhayanidhi Stalin. More updates about the film will be out in the coming days. The 'Nayakan duo has now reunited after a long time and their fans can't keep calm about this 'unexpected' news.
On November 6, Kamal Haasan took to Twitter to announce his next film. He wrote, "Here we go again! #KH234 (sic)," as he shared the official announcement. In the caption, he called this film the next step in his journey." The film will be jointly produced by Udhayanidhi Stalin's Red Giant Movies, Kamal Haasan's Raaj Kamal Films International, and Mani Ratnam's Madras Talkies. The film will have music composed by AR Rahman.
Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan have teamed up for the film KH234 after 35 years. Mani Ratnam has worked with Kamal Haasan for only one film Nayakan but the classic 1987 action dram is still fresh in the minds of the audience. Interestingly, Kamal Haasan shared this big news a day ahead of his birthday.
The film, tentatively called ‘ KH 234’ will be produced by Kamal Haasan, Mani Ratnam, R Mahendran, and Siva Ananth under their banners Raaj Kamal Films International and Madras Talkies. The film will be presented by Udhayanidhi Stalin’s Red Giant Movies.
The film will have music by AR Rahman. Notably, this is the first time the three are coming together for a project. Rahman, the frequent collaborator of Mani Ratnam, previously scored music for Kamal in 2000’s Thenali.
During an interview with Baradwaj Rangan, Mani Ratnam said he would never make a sequel to Nayakan. The PS1 filmmaker said, "Never, When you finish a film, you're glad to be rid of it. You're happy you don't have to go back to that script again. Been there, done that."
Producer Udhayanidhi Stalin said that it’s an honour to present this film. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to join Kamal Sir in presenting ‘Ulaganayagan KH 234’ after the great success of Vikram and the much-awaited Indian 2. An absolute honour to present this film and tell this special story. Kamal sir and Mani sir have been the pride of Tamil cinema globally and I have been an ardent admirer of both these iconic personalities. Thank you Kamal sir for this great opportunity.”
While other details about the cast and crew are yet to be announced, the film is expected to hit screens in 2024.
Kamal Haasan is currently busy with his hosting duties for the reality show Bigg Boss Tamil. On the acting front, he has Indian 2 with Shankar and a project with Malayalam filmmaker Mahesh Narayanan in the line-up. As a producer, he will back Sivakarthikeyan’s upcoming film with Rajkumar Periyasamy, and a film with Udhayanidhi.
On a related note, Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selva 2 will hit the theaters on April 28, 2023. The film feature Chiyaan Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, and Trish Krishnan in the leading roles.
Talking about their upcoming projects, Kamal Haasan will be seen next in Indian 2, the sequel of his vigilante action film Indian released in 1996. Bankrolled by Lyca Productions, the film also features Siddharth, Kajal Aggarwal, Rakul Preet Singh, Bobby Simhaa, and Priya Bhavani Shankar in key roles.
Mani Ratnam's next is also a sequel, Ponniyin Selvan 2, which the filmmaker has already shot and the post-production work for the same will begin soon. The makers are planning to release it in the summer of 2023 and it is reported that the film will be out on Eid 2023, clashing with Salman Khan's Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan.
