Thalaivar 171: Rajinikanth, Lokesh Kanagaraj's film to have THIS actor-filmmaker in the antagonist's role?

Lokesh Kanagaraj, who created a unique universe with Vikram by bringing some of the characters from Kaithi into it, was expected to make the idea bigger in Kaithi 2. However, he decided to direct Rajinikanth for Thalaivar 171 (tentative title) next. The action drama will be bankrolled by Sun Pictures.

ALSO READ: Thalaivar 171: Jailer star Rajinikanth pins hopes on his most-anticipated film with Lokesh Kanagaraj 

An official announcement on the film was made a few months ago when Lokesh was busy with the post-production works of Leo. Thalaivar 171 will be a stand-alone movie without any references to the universe he created.  

Thalaivar 171 to have THIS actor playing the antagonist?

The project is expected to go on floors after a few months, revealed Lokesh during the promotion of Leo. He is currently busy with the script work and a major announcement can be expected once he is ready to wield the megaphone. It isn't clear if writer-filmmaker Rathna Kumar will be associated with the project.

We now hear that Raghava Lawrence is being considered to play the antagonist's role in the movie. He was supposed to essay a crucial role in the director's Vikram, but Vijay Sethupathi came on board to play the character. The news has started doing the rounds on social media, leaving cinephiles thrilled.

Film buffs are expecting a strong antagonist in Thalaivar 171

The biggest strength Lokesh's films Kaithi, Master and Vikram had was the presence of an effective villain character. However, Leo lacked this aspect which led to the movie suffering from the absence of enjoyable conflicts in the latter half. His fans are expecting a superbly written antagonist's role in Thalaivar 171.

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The director revealed recently that he had approached acclaimed filmmaker Vetri Maaran a few times to play the role of a villain in his movies, but the latter kept rejecting the offer.