Cine News Digest – 01 March 2026

Vijay’s wife files for divorce

Vijay’s wife, Sangeetha, has filed a petition for divorce at the Chengalpattu District Court.

The couple’s marriage was registered in the United Kingdom on 10 July 1998, and the ceremonial Hindu marriage was a grand affair that took place in Chennai on 25 August 1999.

Sangeetha Sornalingam was born to Si Lankan immigrants in the United Kingdom. Sangeetha flew to Chennai shortly after the release of Vijay’s Poove Unakaage to congratulate him on the success of the film. Vijay then invited her to meet his parents. The liaison soon moved to marriage.

Sangeetha has maintained a distance from media focus, choosing to remain in the background and focusing her attention on their two children – Jason Sanjay and Divya Shasha. She ensured that the children made only sporadic public appearances and it was reported that the fleeting film glimpses were against her will.

It has been alleged, tough not yet confirmed, that Sangeetha had cited Vijay’s extra-marital affair with an actress as her primary reason for the divorce petition. However, there was some tension within the marriage that was identifiable as early as 2002, but these were downplayed through the media.

The timing of the petition, just before the Tamil Nadu elections scheduled for 10 May 2026, is likely to do irreparable damage to Vijay and his political party, Thamialaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).

The announcement has also led to speculations about the actress involved, reigniting fervent discussions among fans and journalists that had first peaked in 2024.

Reunion of the Legends

Nelson Dileepkumar will helm the biggest Tamil film of the last three decades – the reunion on screen of Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth after 47 years. The untitled film will be written by Nelson Dileepkumar with Kamal Haasan on board to co-write the screenplay. Anirudh Ravichander will score the music.

Sivakarthikeyan’s home production Thaai Kizhavi opens strong at the global box-office.

Radhika Sarathkumar plays a pivotal role in the rural-based family comedy that has become a surprising hit, raking in 9 crores across Tamil Nadu alone in its first two days on circuit. The film opened to rave reviews from critics and marks the first film for its director Sivakumar Murugesan.

The early success of the film reaffirms the importance of celebrating local lifestyles and values and in mainstream cinema, a move popularised by Bharathiraja and somewhat forgotten in recent times. Thaai Kizhavi also stars Singampuli, Bala Saravanan, Munishkanth, Illavarasu, Raichal Rabecca and George Maryan.

Sivakarthikeyan in for a busy year

Even before the release of Thaai Kizhavi, Sivakarthikeyan entered into a two-film agreement with that film’s director, Sivakumar Murugesan.

The first of these films, announced in mid-February, was Seyon which will be co-produced by Kamal Haasan’s Raaj Kamal Films International and with music by Santhosh Narayanan. Bhagyashri Borse, of Kaantha-fame, will play the female lead.

SK is also continuing discussions with his much-hyped film for director Venkat Prabhu. While those discussions take place, Venkat Prabhu has already signed on Kalyani Priyadharshan and Ramya Nambeesan in pivotal roles in what is believed to be a science-fiction comedy entertainer.

SK will also be doing a film that will be directed by Ramkumar Balakrishnan, the director of the critically acclaimed and multi-award winning film, Parking.

It’s biopic season in Kodambakkam

Three major biopics are planned for Kodambakkam over an eighteen-month period.

Dhanush’s greatly delayed biopic on Maestro Illaiyaraja will commence shooting later this year for release in July 2027. There were rumours that the film’s director Arun Matheswaran had been replaced, but this was refuted by the director himself, who indicated that work on the script is now nearing its final stages.

Dhanush will also play the lead in a biopic on former President of India, APJ Abdul Kalam, who was also a scientist and prolific author.

Sai Pallavi will play the legendary actress and Carnatic singer, M.S. Subbulakshmi. Subbulakshmi was the first musician to win the Bharath Rathna award and the first woman to sing at the Madras Music Academy. The biopic will be directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri.

Mari Selvaraj to launch his own cinematic universe?

Mari Selvaraj has big plans for his next film with Dhanush, saying that the script is currently a period film with a fantasy element. He did say, however, that he would have a rethink on the fantasy element before beginning the shooting. He also hinted at the film incorporating elements of some of his earlier films to be a part of a new cinematic universe.

Shooting for this film will commence in September 2026

Ashwath Marimuthu to direct Suriya

Ashwath Marimuthu, the director of Oh My Kadavule and the 2025 super hit film Dragon, has taken a break from his film with Silambarasan TR to launch a new film with Suriya in the lead role. Ashwath had originally written the script for Rajinikanth but has now made some changes to suit Suriya.

Dhruv in a new romantic comedy

Dhruv has become a much sought-after star after the success of Bison. He will next head the cast in a rimantic comedy that will also feature Rukmini Vasanth (Madharasi) and Sreeleela (Parasakthi). This film will be directed by newcomer, Deepak Reddy and will be filmed simultaneously in Tamil and Telugu.