Buzz: Ajith's heist thriller AK 61 and Vijay's family drama Varisu to clash at box office for Pongal 2023

If the current buzz in Kollywood is anything to go by, cinephiles are likely to have an exciting Pongal in 2023. The much-awaited forthcoming movies of Ajith and Vijay are expected to have a box office clash for the festival.

Vijay's Varisu was announced as a Pongal release a few months ago when makers revealed posters from the movie. On the other hand, Ajith's AK 61 (tentative title) was initially considered to hit the screens on Deepavali this year, but the team is yet to wrap up its shooting. There were reports of the film releasing in December, but the latest speculations suggest a Pongal release for the film.

Varisu, being directed by Vamshi Paidipally, is touted as a family drama which revolves around a millionaire who sets out to sort out the issues in his joint family. Sarath Kumar, Prabhu, Rashmika Mandanna, Srikanth and Prakash Raj among others essay key roles in the project.

AK 61, which has H Vinoth at its helm, is billed as a heist thriller which is said to revolve around a bank robbery. Manju Warrier, Veera and Kavin among others will be seen enacting significant characters in the movie.

The last time films of Ajith and Vijay had a clash at the box office was in 2014. The former's Veeram and the latter's Jilla hit the screens as a Pongal release January 10. Last year, there was speculation about Ajith's Valimai and Vijay's Beast taking on each other at the box office for Pongal 2022.

But Valimai went on to release in February while Beast hit the screens in April. Ajith will begin AK 62 (tentative title) next with Vignesh Shivan and Vijay is expected to join Thalapathy 67 (tentative title) with Lokesh Kanagaraj.