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Mari Selvaraj, Tamil director and screenwriter, has announced his next film as a producer, Maakaali, which stars fellow filmmaker Ameer in the lead role. The first-look poster, released on Wednesday, reveals S.B. Aravinth, longtime assistant director to Selvaraj, as the writer and director, marking his solo directorial debut.
No plot details have been revealed yet, though the first-look poster shows Ameer walking alone inside a massive skeleton of an animal. The film also stars Swasika and Anishma Anilkumar, with music by Justin Prabhakaran. Maakaali is the second production from Navvi Studios, the banner Selvaraj runs along with his wife, Divya Mari Selvaraj, following his own directorial venture Vaazhai (2024).
Ameer, a Tamil new wave-era filmmaker, began his career as an assistant to director Bala on Sethu (1999) before making his own directorial debut with the romantic comedy Mounam Pesiyadhe (2002). His third film, Paruthiveeran (2007), remains his most acclaimed work, winning six Filmfare Awards South and two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. He has increasingly moved toward acting in recent years, appearing in a supporting role in Selvaraj's own Bison Kaalamaadan (2025) and starring as the lead in Uyir Thamizhukku (2024).
Selvaraj made his directorial debut with the widely acclaimed Pariyerum Perumal (2018) and has since directed Karnan (2021), Maamannan (2023), Vaazhai (2024) and Bison Kaalamaadan (2025), the film that also gave Ameer his role. Maakaali marks the first time Selvaraj is producing a film he has not also directed or written himself.
Selvaraj's own filmography has repeatedly centred on outsiders pushing back against social hierarchy — from Karnan's depiction of caste violence to Maamannan's story of a Dalit legislator confronting entrenched power.
No release date has been announced for Maakaali yet, though the first-look poster confirms the film went on floors on Wednesday.