Amaran is an upcoming Tamil-language biographical action war film written and directed by Rajkumar Periasamy. Jointly produced by Raaj Kamal Films International and Sony Pictures Films India, the film features Sivakarthikeyan in the role of Major Mukund Varadarajan, alongside an ensemble cast including Sai Pallavi, Bhuvan Arora, Rahul Bose, and more. It adapts the book series *India’s Most Fearless* by Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh, focusing on Varadarajan’s life.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Officially announced in January 2022 as #SK21—marking Sivakarthikeyan’s 21st lead role—the film’s title was revealed in February 2024. Principal photography began in May 2023 and concluded in May 2024, with filming locations including Kashmir, Chennai, Pondicherry, and Puducherry. The film features music by G. V. Prakash Kumar, cinematography by CH Sai, and editing by R. Kalaivanan.
Amaran is set for a worldwide theatrical release in September 2024, although an official date has yet to be confirmed by the production companies. The film promises to be a compelling tribute to the valor and sacrifices of Major Mukund Varadarajan.
Cast
– Sivakarthikeyan as Major Mukund Varadarajan “Maddy”
– Sai Pallavi as Indhu Rebecca Varghese
– Bhuvan Arora as Sepoy Vikram Singh
– Rahul Bose as Colonel Amit Singh Dabas, Mukund’s Commanding Officer
– Lallu as Ravi Shankar
– Shreekumar as Michael
– Hanun Bawra
– Lada Singh
– Vikas Bangar
– Ajaey Naga as Rajesh Shukla
– Mir Salmaan as Saifudeen
– Gaurav Venkatesh as Venkanna
– Shyam Mohan as Indhu’s Brother
– Anbu Thasan
– Umair Ibn Lateef
– Harshdeep Singh
– Abhinav Raj
– Rohan Surya Kanuma Reddy** as Rifleman Narasimha Rao
– John Kaipallil
Production
‘Amaran’ is a biographical film about the late Major Mukund Varadarajan, portrayed by Sivakarthikeyan. After the release of *Rangoon* in 2017, director Rajkumar Periasamy began developing this project as his second directorial venture. Initially, it was set to be produced by Kamal Haasan, with whom Periasamy had previously collaborated on a reality show. However, the director shifted his focus after being encouraged by Vakil Khan to read a chapter from the book series ‘India’s Most Fearless’ by Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh, which details Varadarajan’s life. Khan proposed creating a biopic about the Major and secured the rights from Sony Pictures Films India, who agreed to fund the project. Haasan later decided to co-produce the film with Sony.
Sivakarthikeyan was signed for the role of Mukund Varadarajan in late December 2021. The two had a history of collaboration in various projects before entering the film industry. In January 2022, Haasan officially announced the film while hosting the finale of *Bigg Boss Season 5*, leading to a social media reveal on January 15, with the project initially titled #SK21. The film has a production budget of ₹150–200 crore, with Sivakarthikeyan reportedly earning ₹20 crore for his role. The official title, ‘Amaran’, was announced on February 16, 2024, just before Sivakarthikeyan’s birthday.
Pre-production
In early 2020, Rajkumar visited Varadarajan’s family to gather insights about his life. He stated that this research greatly aided the screenplay development. Initially, the team considered several actors for the role, but Mahendran from Raaj Kamal Films International recommended Sivakarthikeyan, leading to Rajkumar’s approval.
A muhurat puja was conducted on May 5, 2023, at Raaj Kamal Films International’s headquarters in Chennai, attended by the cast and crew, along with Varadarajan’s family. However, their presence was not included in promotional materials to maintain the film’s biographical nature under wraps. G. V. Prakash Kumar was announced as the music composer on May 3, marking his first collaboration with both the director and actor. The technical crew includes production designer Rajeevan, cinematographer CH Sai, editor R. Kalaivanan, action director Stefan Richter, dance choreographer Sherif, and costume designers Amritha Ram, Sameera Saneesh, and V. Sai.
Casting
Sivakarthikeyan underwent extensive training for nearly a year during the pre-production phase to prepare for his role as Mukund Varadarajan. Director Rajkumar Periasamy noted that the actor participated in a workshop in Mumbai to transform his body language from a soft-spoken persona to that of an Army officer. Sai Pallavi was cast opposite Sivakarthikeyan, marking her first collaboration with him. She plays the role of Mukund’s wife, Indhu Rebecca Varghese, and is set to receive a remuneration of ₹3 crore.
Bollywood actor Bhuvan Arora will portray Sepoy Vikram Singh, Mukund’s colleague, in his debut Tamil film. He dedicated his role to his father, who served in the army. Lallu was also cast in a significant role, continuing his collaboration with Periyasamy after *Rangoon*, and confirmed his involvement on June 9, 2023, coinciding with the six-year anniversary of *Rangoon’s* release.
Additional cast members include Rahul Bose, Ajaey Naga Raaman, Mir Salman, and Gaurav Venkatesh. During filming in Puducherry, a leaked image surfaced on social media featuring Sivakarthikeyan, Sai Pallavi, and a child artist playing Mukund’s daughter.
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