Veteran actors Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan are set to reunite on screen after more than four decades in a film directed by Sundar C.

Actor and lawmaker Kamal Haasan announced the collaboration on social media late on Wednesday, revealing that the film is slated for release on January 14, 2027, coinciding with the Pongal festival.

It remains unclear whether the two legends will share screen space in the project.

“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 (RKFI) said in a statement.

The statement added that the film, titled #Thalaivar173, will mark 44 years of RKFI, bringing together Rajinikanth’s “magnetic screen presence” with Sundar C’s direction.

In a landmark production envisioned by Kamal Haasan and R. Mahendran.

The announcement comes just weeks after Rajinikanth hinted that he was ready to work again with Haasan, his long-time friend and co-star.

“There’s a plan,” he had said at the time.

The duo last appeared together in full-fledged roles in Allaudinaum Arputha Vilakkum (1979), directed by Malayalam filmmaker I.V. Sasi.

They have since made cameo appearances in each other’s films, notably in Thillu Mullu (1981), a remake of the Hindi classic Golmaal, and earlier collaborations such as Geraftaar, Anthuleni Katha, Ninaithaale Inikkum, and Aval Appadithaan.

The development marks a milestone in Indian cinema. Both actors began their careers under the acclaimed filmmaker K. Balachander, with Rajinikanth making his debut in Apoorva Raagangal as a terminally ill patient, a far cry from his larger-than-life persona today.

Speculation earlier this year suggested that Lokesh Kanagaraj, who directed Rajinikanth in Coolie and Haasan in Vikram (2023), would helm the project, but those rumours have now been put to rest.

Director Sundar C, known for Tamil hits such as Ullathai Allithaa, Kalakalappu, Winner, Giri, and the Aranmanai franchise, has previously worked with both stars, directing Rajinikanth in Arunachalam (1997) and Haasan in the cult classic Anbe Sivam (2003).

He is married to actress Khushbu Sundar.