The official word is out. Veteran Indian actors Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan are set to collaborate after more than four decades, for a movie to be directed by Sundar C, best known for his memorable comic capers and horror comedies over the decades.

Actor-lawmaker Haasan made the news public on social media late on Wednesday. He also indicated that the movie is slated for release on January 14, 2027, coinciding with the harvest festival of Pongal. It isn't immediately clear if the two actors will share screen space.

"This landmark collaboration not only unites two towering forces of Indian cinema but also celebrates five decades of friendship and brotherhood between Superstar Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan - a bond that continues to inspire generations of artists and audiences alike,” Haasan's production house Raaj Kamal Films International said in a statement.

“Commemorating 44 years of Raajkamal Films International, #Thalaivar173 unites Superstar Rajinikanth's magnetic screen presence with Sundar C's direction, in a landmark production envisioned by Kamal Haasan and R. Mahendran.”

The announcement comes over a month after Rajinikanth indicated that he was ready to work with Haasan, his long-time friend and associate. "There's a plan," he had then said.

The duo last appeared together in full-fledged roles in Allaudinaum Arputha Vilakkum (1979), directed by the veteran Malayalam filmmaker IV Sasi. However, since then they have appeared in cameos in each other's movies, notably in Rajinikanth's Thillu Mullu (1981), a remake of the yesteryear Bollywood classic Golmaal. Key movies comprising them include Geraftaar, Anthuleni Katha, Ninaithaale Inikkum and Aval Appadithaan.

The development also marks an epochal moment in Indian cinema. Rajinikanth and Haasan started their careers under the famous award-winning filmmaker K Balachander and charted their careers. Rajinikanth debuted in Balachander's Apoorva Ragangal as a cancer patient, far removed from the on-screen persona one associates with him today.

Speculation rose earlier this year that Lokesh Kanagaraj, who directed Rajinikanth in Coolie earlier this year and 2023's Vikram with Haasan, would be helming the production. That was put to rest with today's update.

Sundar C, best known for the Tamil movies Ullathai Allithaa, Kalakalappu, Winner, Giri and the Aranmanai horror-comedy franchise, among others, has directed the Rajinikanth actioner Arunachalam (1997) and the cult classic Anbe Sivam (2003), starring Haasan, Madhavan and Kiran Rathod. He is married to actress Khushbu.

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