Silambarasan TR to Act In Vetri Maaran's Next, Film Set In World of 'Vada Chennai'

Prominent Tamil filmmaker Vetri Maaran's next film will be with actor Silambarasan TR and producer Kalaipuli S Thanu, the director confirmed on Monday through his production company's YouTube channel. Unlike reports, the film will be set in the world of his popular film Vada Chennai (2018), but it would not be a sequel to the Dhanush film. "It was Thanu sir who suggested we meet Simbu. I met him immediately, and within a few hours, everything fell into place. Vada Chennai 2 will star Dhanush," he said. The hit 2018 film, which was set in the North Chennai neighbourhood, explored a gangster rivalry.

The filmmaker also added that he was urged to put up this video owing to speculations regarding his feud with Dhanush over the matter. Dhanush, being the producer of Vada Chennai, is the owner of the film's intellectual property, the filmmaker said, adding that it's morally right for a person to ask for money for their copyrighted content. "The day after I met Simbu, I spoke to Dhanush about this and told him we could go two ways with this film, which is either set the film in the world of Vada Chennai or do it as a standalone film and that it depends on him. He told me to do whatever is comfortable for me. He told me he would give NOC and said no money was needed."

There were a lot of videos on YouTube speculating about Dhanush's friendship with the filmmaker, he noted. "My relationship with Dhanush cannot be changed by something like this. He will never disrupt the creative flow that I have. He always tells me to clear my headspace. Even recently, during financial pressure, he made sure I got some support from a producer; Dhanush is someone who will never disturb me."

Dhanush further told him that it would be a different experience for me to work with someone like Simbu. "Simbu met me four days ago and spoke about this. He told me to do what's comfortable for me, whether that is a standalone film or a Vada Chennai film. He didn't want my equation with Dhanush to be disrupted. Both of them respect each other. I cannot be forced to do anything. This is not to say that I am adamant. When a creative process is going to take the next few months, people come together to facilitate that," he said. And Dhanush has been a big part of that journey, the filmmaker pointed out. "He has always had something or the other to do with the films I've made. Everybody around me believes that what I'm trying to do is the best thing for me to do at the time."

Dhanush was last seen in Sekhar Kammula's Tamil-Telugu bilingualKuberaa (2025), while Silambarasan TR was featured in Mani Ratnam's Thug Life (2025). Vetri Maaran, who concluded the Viduthalai series with a sequel last year, will also be working on Vaadivaasal with Suriya. Apart from delays in writing, the makers are also working on fine-tuning the technical aspects of the film, the filmmaker added in the video.