Lokesh Kanagaraj Reveals Why He Opted Out of Rajinikanth–Kamal Haasan Film

Talented Tamil director Lokesh Kanagaraj recently announced a big project with Tollywood star Allu Arjun. Tentatively titled AA23, the film is expected to go on floors from June 2026. Before this, Lokesh was supposed to make a film with Rajinikanth in the lead, with Kamal Haasan backing the project as producer.
Speaking at a press meet held today, Lokesh revealed that he was approached for the Rajinikanth–Kamal Haasan project before the release of Coolie and had narrated the idea to both stars. He said that while they liked the concept, both Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan are currently working on action-heavy films such as Jailer 2 and KH233 (with Anbu Arivu) and were looking to do something lighter. Since he felt he could not deliver that tone, Lokesh decided to opt out of the project.
Apart from this, Lokesh also confirmed his cameo in Thalapathy Vijay’s last film, Jana Nayagan. He further clarified that Kaithi 2 will be his immediate project after completing AA23.
Announced as Thalaivar 173, the Rajinikanth starrer later had Sundar C come on board as director. After Sundar C exited the film, Cibi Chakravarthy stepped in to take charge. Anirudh Ravichander will compose the music for the film, which is confirmed to release during Pongal 2027.The post Lokesh Kanagaraj Reveals Why He Opted Out of Rajinikanth–Kamal Haasan Film first appeared on Latest Telugu cinema news | Movie reviews | OTT Updates, OTT.