Kamal Haasan’s Sandiyar First Look: A Bloody Madurai Revenge

Kamal Haasan’s long-in-the-works project with director SU Arun Kumar has a name. The film previously known as KH237 is now Sandiyar, and the first-look poster drops him into a raw, rural action world that sets a violent tone.

The first look: not the Kamal you’re used to

The poster shows Haasan with close-cropped grey hair and a thick grey-and-white moustache, staring hard while holding a submachine gun beside an old jeep or car. Blood marks are visible on the vehicle’s door panel and interior, and the poster’s tagline reads, “Revenge can only be settled in blood.”

Before the title reveal, the team had shared a teaser poster with Haasan in side profile: a dark sleeveless vest, a veshti, and a large curved blade in his right hand. Together, the two images suggest a grounded, rural revenge story rather than sleek star packaging.

Why the title matters

Sandiyar is not a new idea for the actor. It was the original title Kamal Haasan had chosen for his 2004 film Virumaandi. Caste-based groups objected to the word at the time, and the actor eventually changed the title. Now, more than two decades later, he has brought it back for a new film.

That history gives the announcement an extra layer for Tamil film fans. The title is part of the story, not just a label.

What we know about Sandiyar

• Directed by SU Arun Kumar.
• Set against the backdrop of Madurai, expected to be a grounded rural action drama.
• Music by Anirudh Ravichander.
• Action choreography by Anbariv.
• Theme: revenge.

The combination of Arun Kumar’s sensibility, Anirudh’s score and Anbariv’s action design points to a film that will lean into tension and texture over gloss.

A signal to fans

The look may be raw, but the packaging is deliberate. Kamal Haasan moves from the Mani Ratnam-directed Thug Life to a director known for grounded, textured stories, and the poster art leans into that shift: rural setting, blood, and a title that already has a past. The old jeep and the curved blade are not random props; they place the film in a world where violence feels local and personal.

Kamal Haasan’s packed slate

Kamal was last seen in the 2025 gangster drama Thug Life, directed by Mani Ratnam. His banner is also producing Rajinikanth’s upcoming Dharman, which features Nayanthara, Raashi Khanna and Yogi Babu, with Anirudh once again scoring. Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan are also set to reunite on screen with Nelson Dilipkumar for a project tentatively titled KHxRK.

With Sandiyar, Kamal Haasan returns to the kind of intense, character-driven material his fans keep asking for — and this time, the title itself carries a second act.

Source: The Times of India