It's official: Ritika Singh joins Rajinikanth's Thalaivar 170

Speculations were rife about actor Ritika Singh joining the cast of Superstar Rajinikanth's next movie, which has been temporarily titled Thalaivar 170. Putting all the rumours to rest, Lyca Productions on Monday officially confirmed her involvement in the project.

"#Thalaivar170Team has gotten grittier with the addition of @ritika_offl," tweeted the production company.

This announcement followed closely on the heels of the revelation that Dushara Vijayan would also be joining the star-studded cast.

ALSO READ: Thalaivar 170: Rajinikanth starrer finds female lead in Dushara Vijayan

Who is Ritika Singh?

Ritika Singh was a former mixed martial artist athlete. She quit the sport to focus on her acting career. She made her acting debut in the boxing movie Irudhi Suttru. In the 2016 sports drama, she played the role of a girl from a ghetto with exceptional fighting skills. Written and directed by Sudha Kongara, the movie also had R. Madhavan as the male lead. The movie was a big hit in Tamil, making Ritika Singh a talent to watch out for in Tamil cinema.

She later acted in movies like Aandavan Kattalai, Guru, Shivalinga, Oh My Kadavule and Kolai. She was last seen in a special dance number in the Malayalam gangster drama King of Kotha, starring Duqler Salmaan.

ALSO READ: Thalaivar 170: Anirudh Ravichander to score music for Rajinikanth for the fourth time

What's the story of Thalaivar 170?

The buzz is that Thalaivar 170 will revolve around the story of a retired police officer determined to uncover the truth behind police encounter killings. Similar to director TJ Gnanavel's previous work, Jai Bhim, this upcoming film is said to be inspired by real-life events. Gnanavel is known for creating impactful, true-to-life social commentary and addressing important political issues. In Jai Bhim, he tackled the problem of caste discrimination within the criminal justice system, highlighting how it affected innocent people from marginalized communities. The movie also explored the devastating consequences of police brutality, drawing inspiration from a real-life legal case handled by retired High Court Justice K Chandru.