Pa Ranjith’s film with Chiyaan Vikram to kickstart by September end?

Bankrolled by KE Gnanavelraja, in association with Neelam Productions, Chiyaan 61, will mark the maiden collaboration of Pa Ranjith with Vikram.

Gnanavel Raja of Studio Green, Vikram, Pa Ranjith and GV Prakash/Twitter

On July 17, Chiyaan Vikram's 61st film's puja was held in Chennai. This untitled project, directed by Pa Ranjith, is being funded by KE Gnanavel Raja's Studio Green. While netizens await an update from the producers on the shooting schedules, credible sources confirmed Chiyaan 61 will begin filming by the end of September. The crew had planned to shoot in various locations across India including Chennai, Karnataka and Punjab.

Chiyaan 61 was supposed to go into production in July. But both Vikram and Pa Ranjith are focusing on their respective upcoming releases like Cobra, Ponniyin Selvan and Natchathiram Nagargiradhu. As a result, the team is looking for a suitable date in the last week of September or the first week of October to start filming.

Pa Ranjith’s Natchathiram Nagargiradhu is a romantic comedy that marks the director's return to the genre following his debut, Attakathi (2012). Starring Dushara Vijayan, Kalaiyarasan, Kalidas Jayaram, Hari Krishnan, Vinoth, Subathra Robert and Shabeer Kallarakkal, among others, this is set against a theatre backdrop and explores queer to heterosexual relationships.

The first single, Rangarattinam, was released a week ago and was composed by Tenma and written by Arivu. Vocals have been provided by MS Krsna, Gana Muthu, Sangita Santhosham, Kavitha Gopi, and Karthik Manickavasakam.

The poster of the film piqued interest as it had all the characters placed against the backdrop of the rainbow-tinted arch, symbolizing the queer community. The film also explores how these various kinds of love work on a political level in Tamil Nadu. It is a co-production between Yaazhi Films and Neelam.

Besides Natchathiram Nagargiradhu, Ranjith has other socially relevant films lined up for release, including Vettuvam, for which Ranjith was at the Cannes Film Market.

Hearsay is that Chiyaan 61 is set in the Kolar Gold Fields in Karnataka. Ranjith was supposed to begin filming after his blockbuster Kabali, starring Rajinikanth, but decided to wait until the two KGF films, which share a backdrop, are released in 2018 and 2022.

The director realised his story is completely different after watching the KGF films about a Bombay gangster who breaks the hegemony of the mafia ruling the gold fields and becomes India's biggest don. His film is a period piece about working-class miners in the nineteenth century who discovered gold. The film is a collaboration between Neelam and Studio Green.

Ranjith will begin work on a film with Kamal Haasan, too. The Kaala director describes it as an "important" film that will "address a major issue" and is set in Tamil Nadu's Madurai district. This untitled project is being produced by Haasan's Raajkamal Films International.

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