Overview
- Multiple outlets on Monday and Tuesday reported that director Cibi Chakravarthi has left Rajinikanth’s Thalaivar 173.
- Raaj Kamal Films International has not confirmed his exit or named a new director.
- Reports say filmmaker Ashwath Marimuthu, known for Dragon and Lucky Man, is in talks to take over.
- Coverage links the shake-up to a dispute tied to a dropped Nani film and to reported pushback over a darker script, with no verification from the makers.
- The uncertainty threatens a late-April shoot and puts the previously announced Pongal 2027 release at risk after Kamal Haasan had already confirmed Sundar C’s earlier exit.