Superstar Rajinikanth’s next film, dubbed Thalaivar 170, has been creating considerable excitement. As a special treat for his 73rd birthday, the makers have finally revealed the official title accompanied by a teaser. The film is titled Vettaiyan.

Check out the teaser here:

The teaser shows Rajinikanth making a superstar entry wearing sunglasses, holding a stick along with brown shirt and pants. He is then seen saying, “When the hunt is on, the prey must fall!” 

Vettaiyan is helmed by TJ Gnanavel, acclaimed for his work on the film Jai Bhim. In this upcoming movie, Rajinikanth is slated to play the role of a retired Muslim police officer reopening a case in pursuit of justice. The film is being shot in several locations such as Thiruvananthapuram, Tirunelveli, and Mumbai, with production commencing earlier this year. 

The film boasts an impressive ensemble cast, featuring Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan, along with Rana Daggubati, Fahadh Faasil, Rithika Singh, Manju Warrier, and Dussara Vijayan in pivotal roles. The film holds the anticipation of bringing together two legends of Indian cinema, Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan, in a collaboration that is eagerly awaited by fans.

See Also: Birthday Special: Rajinikanth’s upcoming movies and cameos 

Superstar Rajinikanth celebrated his 73rd birthday with the warmth of his family’s company at home, and glimpses of the intimate celebration quickly circulated across social media. The heartwarming pictures captured Rajinikanth cutting three birthday cakes, surrounded by his wife Latha, daughters Aishwarya and Soundarya Rajinikanth, and other close family members, all joyously cheering for the beloved icon.

Birthday wishes flooded in from celebrities, production houses, and fans alike, showering admiration and love on the legendary actor. Among the first to extend birthday greetings was actor Dhanush, Rajinikanth’s ex-son-in-law, who shared on social media, “Happy birthday Thalaiva @rajinikanth,” accompanied by a series of folded-hands and heart emojis.

Dharma Productions, represented by Karan Johar’s official Twitter handle, conveyed heartfelt wishes to the actor, expressing, “His talent has impacted a whole millennia – there’s truly no one like him! Happy birthday @rajinikanth! #HappyBirthdayRajinikanth #Rajinikanth.”

Varalaxmi Sarathkumar and Raghava Lawrence also joined in with touching birthday tributes for Thalaivar, sharing memorable photos alongside their wishes.

Professionally, Rajinikanth had a stellar 2023. His action comedy Jailer emerged as the highest-grossing Tamil film of the year. 

Looking ahead, Rajinikanth is poised to grace the screen in Thalaivar 170 which also features Amitabh Bachchan, Manju Warrier, Fahadh Faasil, and Telugu star Rana Daggubati in a pivotal role. Directed by TJ Gnanavel, the movie also features Ritika Singh and Dushara Vijaya in significant roles.

Visiting Federal Bureau of Investigation or FBI Director Christopher Wray has assured India that the US is probing attack on the Indian Consulate in San Francisco “aggressively” and would be able to share “credible” leads soon, sources said. Mr Wray met National Investigation Agency Director Dinkar Gupta on second day of his visit on Tuesday.

In March, a group of Khalistan supporters attacked and damaged the Indian Consulate. It was again attacked in July. The NIA team had visited San Francisco in August and returned with some leads.

The meeting between the investigating agency chiefs comes on the heels of Washington’s allegations about an Indian link to a foiled plot to kill Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil.

At the meeting, India flagged how freedom of expression is being misused, NDTV has learnt.

“The NIA chief highlighted how the nexus between terrorist outfits and terrorist elements with members of organised criminal syndicates spreading in the US,” a senior official said.

Detailed discussions were also held between both agencies on how to share real time intelligence, so that informed decisions can be taken promptly.

“Discussions were also held on several pending extraditions, including that of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack co-conspirator Tahawwur Rana,” another senior official said.

Pakistan-origin Canadian businessman Rana is wanted by the Indian authorities for his alleged involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. He is currently in the US.

At the meeting, the NIA chief pointed out that threats in the cyber domain were increasing. Digital space was also being effectively exploited by terrorists and extremists for propagating radical views and recruitment, he said, adding that NIA was also seeing use of crytocurrency for terror funding.

The difficulties encountered by law enforcement agencies in obtaining data from encryption Apps were also discussed.

The two sides noted that with the advent of newer technologies at a fast pace, tracing, tracking and investigating crypto transactions is turning out to be a huge challenge, the official said.

The official said both agencies recognised the challenges posed by organised crime networks, terror related crimes, cyber-enabled terror attacks, ransomware threats, economic crimes and transnational terror crimes.