Sai Pallavi and Vijay Sethupathi in Mani Ratnam's next. Crew gets busy in Kolkata
Pictures are going viral after seeing Sai Pallavi and Vijay Sethupathi on set with Mani Ratnam on Howrah Bridge
Sai Pallavi and Vijay Sethupathi have been photographed holding hands on the sets of Mani Ratnam's upcoming, as-yet-untitled film in Kolkata's Howrah Bridge, sparking significant online buzz. This project, tentatively titled 'Madras Talkies Production No. 23,' represents a romantic drama and marks the directorial reunion of Mani Ratnam with Vijay Sethupathi, who last collaborated in 2018, and it is Sai Pallavi's first film with the renowned director. Filming commenced on July 23, 2026, with plans to move to Puducherry for subsequent schedules, and the film will feature music by A.R. Rahman, with Sony Music South serving as the audio partner. The production is being handled by Lyca Productions and Madras Talkies, and the public's reaction has been largely positive and anticipatory.
Sai Pallavi and Vijay Sethupathi have been photographed holding hands on the sets of Mani Ratnam's upcoming, as-yet-untitled film in Kolkata's Howrah Bridge, sparking significant online buzz. This project, tentatively titled 'Madras Talkies Production No. 23,' represents a romantic drama and marks the directorial reunion of Mani Ratnam with Vijay Sethupathi, who last collaborated in 2018, and it is Sai Pallavi's first film with the renowned director. Filming commenced on July 23, 2026, with plans to move to Puducherry for subsequent schedules, and the film will feature music by A.R. Rahman, with Sony Music South serving as the audio partner. The production is being handled by Lyca Productions and Madras Talkies, and the public's reaction has been largely positive and anticipatory.
Sai Pallavi and Vijay Sethupathi have been photographed holding hands on the sets of Mani Ratnam's upcoming, as-yet-untitled film in Kolkata's Howrah Bridge, sparking significant online buzz. This project, tentatively titled 'Madras Talkies Production No. 23,' represents a romantic drama and marks the directorial reunion of Mani Ratnam with Vijay Sethupathi, who last collaborated in 2018, and it is Sai Pallavi's first film with the renowned director. Filming commenced on July 23, 2026, with plans to move to Puducherry for subsequent schedules, and the film will feature music by A.R. Rahman, with Sony Music South serving as the audio partner. The production is being handled by Lyca Productions and Madras Talkies, and the public's reaction has been largely positive and anticipatory.
A few pictures of Sai Pallavi and Vijay Sethupathi on the set at Kolkata's Howrah Bridge went viral on social media on Sunday. They showed Sai Pallavi in an orange-shade maxi dress, while a clean-shaven Vijay Sethupathi donned a casual outfit. On the set, veteran Tamil director Mani Ratnam was talking to both the actors, and they were holding hands while filming a scene.
The production of Mani Ratnam’s new film began on July 23, 2026. Produced by Lyca Productions and Madras Talkies, the project was announced on March 20, 2026. It started shooting in Kolkata and will be moved to Puducherry for the next schedule. The internet had a whole swing of emotions towards the film, but mostly the reactions were wholesome. The fans are eagerly waiting for the new movie’s release.
About the film
As of now, the movie is unnamed and is set to be a romantic drama tentatively titled "Madras Talkies Production No. 23." This is the first reunion of the duo of Sethupathi and Ratnam since their first film 'Chekka Chivantha Vaanam' in 2018. This is Sai Pallavi’s debut as a Mani Ratnam star.
The producers announced that Sony Music South will be collaborating as the audio partner. The announcement also described the film as "A Mani Ratnam Film" and "An A.R. Rahman Musical," bringing a note of reminiscence of the legendary collaborative creations from both the director’s and composer’s parts over multiple decades.
‘Thug Life’, the last movie from Mani Ratnam with Kamal Haasan and Silambarasan TR, was released on June 5, 2025. The movie is now streaming on Netflix. There were high expectations for this gangster action-thriller that didn't exactly take off well at the box office.
Sai Pallavi is handling some widely popular projects, such as her portrayal of Sita in ‘Ramayana: Part 1’ and 2. The most recent film she worked on was ‘Thandel’ (2025).
Vijay Sethupathi had a busy year in 2025, with the releases of ‘Ace’ and ‘Thalaivan Thalaivii.’ He kicked off 2026 with ‘Gandhi Talks.’ He is also slated for a few upcoming movies, such as ‘Train’ and ‘Slum Dog: 33 Temple Road.’