Kamal Haasan revives old title Sandiyar after 2 decades; SU Arun Kumar to direct his next after Thug Life. First look out

Kamal Haasan's last film was Thug Life with Mani Ratnam. He also has a film with Rajinikanth and Nelson Dilipkumar lined up.

Tamil actor Kamal Haasan has been busy since his 2025 film Thug Life, directed by Mani Ratnam, failed to impress the audience. He has returned to shoot the sequels to some of his previous releases and has announced films with Rajinikanth. But the first concrete announcement as to what his next film will be came on Friday.

Kamal Haasan's first look from SU Arun Kumar's Sandiyar.

Kamal Haasan’s next titled Sandiyar

On Friday evening, Kamal’s production house, Raaj Kamal Films International, announced details of his next film and released his first look. The actor’s next film will be Sandiyar, directed by SU Arun Kumar. The announcement comes ahead of Kamal’s 73rd birthday on November 7. The poster shows him looking intently into the camera, with grey hair and a beard, dressed in neutral tones. In his hand is a gun as he leans into a car splattered with blood on the inside. The film will feature music by Anirudh Ravichander and action choreography by Anbariv. Further details of the cast and more are awaited. While Kamal has been teasing that he is shooting a film for some time, this is the official announcement.

Revival of an old title

Sandiyar is a Tamil word that translates to a fighter, a brawler, a rogue, or a troublesome, ruthless person. In some contexts, it has been used to describe a valiant man or someone who stands up in a battle. Interestingly, the title is something Kamal intended to use for his 2004 film Virumaandi. When he initially named the film Sandiyar, the title drew flak from political groups that objected to it being allegedly casteist. Dr K Krishnaswamy, founder of Puthiya Thamizhagam, strongly objected to the title and reportedly claimed it glorified violence and a specific dominant caste. The title was changed just before the audio launch. Chief Minister Jayalalithaa reportedly refused to get involved when there were threats of disruption and protest at the shooting locations.

Kamal Haasan’s film with Rajinikanth

Kamal and Rajinikanth officially announced their collaboration first on November 5 last year, though it has been teased since before the release of Coolie. A film produced by Kamal and Red Giant Movies initially had Sundar C as the director. He was later replaced by Cibi Chakaravarthi, but eventually, in June this year, it was announced that Ashwath Marimuthu will be directing Rajinikanth in Dharman. Nayanthara also joined the cast.

In February this year, Kamal and Rajinikanth teamed up for another film. Teased with a KH x RK promo, the project was announced to be helmed by Nelson Dilipkumar, with Anirudh composing the music. There has been no update on the film since its promo release, with Rajinikanth busy with Jailer 2 in the meantime. Kamal is also producing Sivakumar Murugesan’s Seyon, which features Sivakarthikeyan in the lead role.

Apart from these, Kamal has the sequels to Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD and Shankar’s Indian 3 lined up. Kamal and Amitabh Bachchan began shooting the sequel to the sci-fi film in February this year; Prabhas joined them only in October. In October, Shankar also announced Indian 3, despite Indian 2 failing to make a mark.