Rajinikanth’s upcoming film, titled Petta, is being directed by Karthik Subburaj. The film also has Vijay Sethupathi in a pivotal role and the shooting is currently in progress. According to latest reports, the director has roped in the Malayalam actor Manikandan R Achari to play a pivotal role. Confirming his presence in the film, the actor had posted a selfie with Vijay Sethupathi from the film’s sets on Facebook.

Manikandan R Achari is one of the fastest rising actors in the Malayalam film industry. He made his acting debut with the 2016 release Kammatipaadam which won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film. The actor has had two film releases – Eeda and Carbon – this year and his next film release would be the Nivin Pauly starrer Kayamkulam Kochunni.

On Rajini’s role in Petta, we hear that he plays a professor and a vigilante with a violent past. While he would be appearing as a professor during the daytime, he will be the vigilante during the nights to safeguard the education institution he works at. Rajini has rejoined the sets of the film in Lucknow after a schedule.

In the star cast of this film are Vijay Sethupathi, Bobby Simha and Simran as well playing important roles. Sources say that Vijay Sethupathi’s role in it is a meaty one and will be completely performance oriented. We also hear that Simran’s role is limited to the flashback scenes only and she will be appearing as Rajini’s love interest. This film may hit the marquee either later this year or early next.

In the meantime, Rajini’s fans are awaiting the release of his upcoming film 2.0, which is directed by S Shankar. The magnum opus, which also has Akshay Kumar and Amy Jackson in the star cast, is slated for release on November 29, this year.

(Content provided by Digital Native)