Viruman: The release date of the Karthi-Aditi Shankar starrer is here, details inside

Karthi's Viruman, directed by Muthaiya, will be released in theatres on August 31, coinciding with Ganesh Chaturthi. The makers had announced the same, with a poster featuring Karthi in a festive mood.

The first look poster of Viruman was released during Sankranti, in January 2022. It featured a lungi-clad Karthi, with a spear in his hand. Touted to be a rural-based mass entertainer, set in Madurai, Viruman marks the second collaboration between Karthi and Muthaiya, after their 2015 hit rural entertainer, Komban. The film takes Karthi back to Madurai 14 years after he shot his debut venture, Paruthiveeran.

Filmmaker Shankar's daughter Aditi will be making her acting debut, with Viruman. The film, additionally, has Rajkiran, Prakash Raj, RK Suresh, Manoj, and Soori, in pivotal roles.

Viruman, which went on floors in Theni in 2021, has music by Yuvan Shankar Raja (who had composed music for Karthi's Paruthiveeran) and cinematography by Selvakumar SK of Maanagaram-fame.

Jyotika and Suriya's home banner, 2D Entertainment is bankrolling Viruman.

On the acting front, Karthi has PS Mithran's Sardar and Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan, in the pipeline.

Speaking about his choice of films, Karthi tells Cinema Express, "People ask me to do more films like Kaithi, but don’t recognise the struggles that go into making a full-blown masala film like Sulthan. I would argue that these are tougher films to make. It is a herculean task and a gamble to make such grand films designed to appeal to everyone.”

Also, Karthi shares how the Pandemic has helped him discover the reader in him. "I had a lot to prepare for my role, Vandhiyathevan, in Ponniyin Selvan. Appa (Sivakumar) got me access to a lot of rare books, some of which are not even in circulation. I have many friends who are fascinated by history and they helped too by getting me the materials required."

Karthi tells Cinema Express, "Ponniyin Selvan will be nothing like anything our cinema has seen so far. Author Kalki has beautifully described the administration, lifestyle and even the kind of irrigation practised during that time. I was stunned to read about such a sophisticated standard of living almost 1000 years ago. Mani sir's version will capture the essence of the novel, and the screenplay ensures that each of the main characters is given equal importance. I don’t think we even have references for the kind of film Ponniyin Selvan will turn out to be!"

Karthi was last seen in Sulthan, directed by Bhagyaraj Kannan of Remo fame.