Vetri Maaran-Silambarasan TR’s ‘Vada Chennai’ film titled ‘Arasan’

Arasan is the title of Tamil star Silambarasan TR’s upcoming project with ace filmmaker Vetri Maaran, the makers announced on Tuesday (October 7). Produced by Kalaippuli S Thanu under his V Creations banner, the upcoming film is set in the world of Vetri’s acclaimed 2018 film Vada Chennai.

Thanu shared the film’s title poster on his social media handles to announce the news.

Other details, like the plot, remain unknown. While announcing the film in June, director Vetri Maaran revealed that the film, then tentatively called STR 49, is a parallel narrative set around the same time as Vada Chennai, and that “characters and aspects from Vada Chennai will find their way into this story.”

A previously released promo video of the film showed a sickle-wielding Simbu, in a striped shirt and baggy pants, walking into a desolate lane. The video, however, cuts before his face is revealed. Interestingly, the title poster also intentionally hides the actor’s face, which certainly adds to the mystery.

While cast details have yet to be officially revealed, a leaked still from the set showed director Nelson alongside Simbu, prompting netizens to speculate that the director is playing a cameo in the film. Further speculations added that actors Kavin and Manikandan are also part of the film, and that actors Andrea Jeremiah, Samuthirakani and Kishore are reprising their roles from Vada Chennai. 

Vada Chennai, widely considered as one of the best gangster dramas in Tamil, featured Dhanush as a young man who is pulled into a world of crime, one where you either do or die. Over the years, the film has attained cult status among audiences. Interestingly, Vetri had also announced a spin-off series centred around Ameer Sultan’s character Rajan, titled Rajan Vagaiyara; however, there haven’t been any updates on the same.