Thalaivar 173: Who is Cibi Chakaravarthi? The one-film old director, a small-town boy who almost made it, and now to direct Rajinikanth
Thalaivar 173: Don director Cibi Chakaravarthi will be helming Rajinikanth’s next film, which will release in theatres for Pongal 2027. Anirudh scores music
Last Updated: 01.06 PM, Jan 03, 2026
On Saturday, the makers of Thalaivar 173 made a huge announcement, revealing the director of the upcoming film. Starring Rajinikanth, and produced by Kamal Haasan, the two pillars of Tamil cinema, the prestigious project was supposed to have been directed by Sundar C. But after he stepped down, filmmaker Cibi Chakaravarthi has been announced as the filmmaker. For those who don’t know who he is, Cibi is an upcoming director who has already given a blockbuster with a star hero.
Who is Cibi Chakaravarthi, director of Thalaivar 173
Thalaivar 173 is an upcoming prestigious project which will feature Rajinikanth in the lead role. His friend and fellow actor, Kamal Haasan will be backing the project. On Saturday, the makers confirmed that Cibi Chakaravarthi will be directing the film. For those who don’t know who he is, Cibi is a young director who had made Don, in his directorial debut. He had previously assisted Atlee in films like Theri and Mersal.
Don released in 2022 and is a coming-of-age comedy drama starring Sivakarthikeyan in the lead role. The film made Sivakarthikeyan a Bonafide star in the pandemic era, and went on to make RS 100 crore. Even after the release of Don, Cibi had met Rajinikanth and expressed how the latter loved the film.
However, ever since then, Cibi had not made a film. While talks were on that he will be reuniting with Sivakarthikeyan once again, Cibi has always expressed how ardent Rajinikanth fan he is. With Thalaivar 173, Cibi is expected to make a fanboy cinema with Rajinikanth at the centre. Cibi’s Don too have had elements of comedy, emotions, and drama, and given the director will continue with his sensibilities, Thalaivar 173 is also expected to be on the same lines with a different storyline. Besides the makers added the tagline ‘Every hero has a family’, perhaps hinting that Thalaivar 173 will be a family entertainer.
Besides, Cibi who had made a star film with Don and secured a hit, is expected to continue his knack of cracking star films, given Rajinikanth’s fandom is massive. On the other hand, with Kamal Haasan as producer, Thalaivar 173 is in secure hands, given he has produced films with content at the forefront such as Amaran and Vikram.
What did Cibi say about Thalaivar 173?
Taking to X, Cibi wrote, "Once, a small-town boy’s big dream was to meet his favourite star “SUPER STAR” & take a picture with him, which drove his passion towards cinema — and the big dream happened one day. Then he had the biggest dream of directing his Superstar. He came so close, but got missed. Then he continued to believe it would happen one day — and today is that day.”
He also recalled how Rajinikanth said 'dreams do come true, and miracles do happen' and expressed his excitement to be associated with Kamal Haasan.
When will Thalaivar 173 be released?
Thalaivar 173 is announced as Pongal release for 2027. The film will have music scored by Anirudh Ravichander who has earlier scored music for Don as well. Kamal Haasan will be backing the project.
Cibi Chakaravarthi FAQs
Q. What is Cibi Chakaravarthi known for?
A. Cibi is known for directing Don ft Sivakarthikeyan.
Q. What is the next film of Sivakarthikeyan Cibi Chakravarthy?
A. Talks were on that Sivakarthikeyan and Cibi Chakravarthy will be reuniting. But no official announcement took place.