Rathna Kumar to co-write the story and dialogues of Vijay's Thalapathy 67?

Both Rathna Kumar and Lokesh Kanagaraj are well-known filmmakers, yet have worked with each other on projects, including Kaithi, Master and Vikram. Following the release of Meyaadha Maan and Maanagaram, both decided to work together. If the industry grapevine is anything to go by, the Aadai director will be brought on board to co-write the story and dialogues of Thalapathy 67, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. However, we await an official word.

In an award ceremony, Lokesh Kanagaraj confirmed that Thalapathy 67 would be a mix of both class and mass. Hearsay is that Vijay will start work on Thalapathy 67, once he's done with existing commitments. For now, the actor is occupied with Varisu, a Vamshi Paidipally film, which will hit the screens for Pongal, next year.

In an interview, Rathna Kumar spoke about his friendship with Lokesh Kanagaraj, and how they understood each other better with every project. “Regardless of whether it was Master of Kaithi, I knew Lokesh liked certain aspects of my writing. His creative decisions are only questioned by people he trusts. I’m glad I am one among them. It's not something I like to add just because he might like it. My characters are treated as they would be in my world,” he said.

Candidly, Rathna Kumar added, whenever his writing was tweaked, he used to frown on the Master sets. “I was reminded by Pon Parthiban that my job was already done,” he laughed. The filmmaker-writer, further, said, “There can be a dramatic shift in the climax when a good question or character is asked. Sometimes we forced a character to say something that she wouldn't normally say. Finding the right way to plug in our favourite lines can be challenging.”

Speaking about Thalapathy 67, Lokesh Kanagaraj, in an interview, said, he can't reveal if the Vijay-starrer will be a stand-alone script or a part of Lokesh's Cinematic Universe (LCU). "It will be an intense action movie. It's a script close to my heart," he added.

Thalapathy 67 will be bankrolled by Lalit Kumar's Seven Screen Studio and Xavier Britto. Unconfirmed reports state that Thalapathy 67 will go on floors on October 3.

On the directorial front, Rathna Kumar, is awaiting the release of Santhanam’s Gulu Gulu.