'Superstar' Rajinikanth's next big film, the tentatively titled Thalaivar 171, will have its title teaser released on April 22, blockbuster Tamil filmmaker Lokesh Kanagaraj has announced. The big announcement was made by the hit director on Thursday evening, March 28, who also went on to unveil the upcoming film's first look poster on X (formerly Twitter). The Thalaivar 171 first look poster in black and white showcases Rajinikanth sporting sunglasses and wearing a denim shirt, while his hands are handcuffed with gold watches and the film's title teaser release date announcement revealed at the bottom. We also see the actor standing amidst the backdrop of parts and gears of a watch / clock and the tentative title with 'Thalaivar' written in gold color and '171' shown in a red blood marking shown above him at the top of the poster.
This latest Thalaivar 171 update has been long-awaited and has no doubt come as a special surprise for Rajinikanth's fans everywhere, who have been looking forward to a word on the film ever since it was announced last year. Although not much is known at this point, Lokesh Kanagaraj had informed during the promotions of the box-office money-spinner Leo (2023) starring 'Thalapathy' Vijay that the Rajinikanth-starrer is a standalone venture and will not be set in the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU) franchise, which also includes Karthi's Kaithi (2019) and 'Ulaganayagan' Kamal Haasan's Vikram (2022).
There has been huge excitement surrounding Thalaivar 171 right from the get-go as it marks the first time collaboration for Rajinikanth and Lokesh Kanagaraj, and there are huge expectations for the duo to come out with a cracker of an entertainer in cinemas. The highly-anticipated film also marks the fifth time 'Rockstar' Anirudh Ravichander will be composing the songs and the background score for a Rajinikanth-starrer after Petta (2019), Darbar (2020), Jailer (2023), and the upcoming Vettaiyan, which is gearing up for a grand worldwide theatrical release later this year. Thalaivar 171 will also include action by the National Award-winning stunt choreographer duo Anbariv, who previously worked with Lokesh Kanagaraj in films Kaithi, Vikram, and Leo, and fans will be looking for them to come up with intense and electrifying sequences with Rajinikanth at the front.