Kamal Haasan has marked his 72nd birthday by going back to a title he was once forced to give up. The veteran actor’s next film with director SU Arun Kumar is called Sandiyar, and its shoot began in Chennai on Saturday, November 7, the actor’s birthday, with the makers unveiling a fierce new poster of Haasan holding a pistol.
The title carries 22 years of history. Sandiyar was the name Haasan originally chose for the film that eventually released as Virumaandi in 2004, before objections at the time made him change it. The new poster leans into the film’s mood with the line “6 ROUNDS, ZERO MERCY. Revenge does give satisfaction, but…” — and early reports describe a grounded, revenge-driven action drama set against a Madurai backdrop, with no dance sequences or CGI de-aging planned.
Sandiyar is Haasan’s first collaboration with Arun Kumar, whose sixth film as director follows Veera Dheera Sooran and the acclaimed Chiththa. Anirudh Ravichander composes the music, continuing his run with Haasan after Vikram and Indian 2, with Sunil KS on camera and the Anbariv duo handling the action. Haasan is producing under his Raaj Kamal Films International banner alongside R Mahendran. The extended cast and plot remain under wraps, but the birthday shoot launch signals that production is moving fast — and with a Rajinikanth reunion, Indian 3 and the Rajinikanth-starrer Dharman also on his slate, Haasan’s calendar is as packed as ever.
