Draft:STR 48

STR 48 (also marketed with the tagline – Blood and Battle) is the tentative working title of an upcoming Tamil-language period action drama film written and directed by Desingh Periyasamy, and produced by Kamal Haasan and R. Mahendran under Raaj Kamal Films International. The film stars Silambarasan in dual roles.

Initially, Gokul was signed to direct the project, however, due to his commitments, the venture got delayed. The film was announced in March 2023 under the tentative title STR 48, along with the tagline Blood and Battle, as it is Silambarasan's 48th film as the leading actor. Principal photography is reportedly scheduled to commence in April 2024.

Cast

 * Silambarasan in dual roles

Development
In late September 2021, Silambarasan was reported to join hands with director Gokul for his 48th film as the lead actor. Vels Films International, headed by Ishari K. Ganesh, would reportedly produce the venture, in their second collaboration with the former after Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu (2022). The company made a public announcement on 20 September, confirming the project through a promotional song titled "CSK Singangala", a tribute to the cricket franchise Chennai Super Kings. The official title, Corona Kumar, was revealed the same day. Gokul's frequent collaborators Javed Riaz and Siddharth Vipin were signed to jointly score the music. In March 2022, sources claimed that the venture was shelved, as no progress were done. The director later stated that the production for the project would begin after he completes his prior commitments, which included Singapore Saloon (2024).

Desingh Periyasamy, who was critically praised for his writing and filmmaking in his 2020 directorial debut film Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal, was reported to have narrated a script to Silambarasan, in early 2023, which reportedly impressed the actor. Kamal Haasan and R. Mahendran were claimed by reports to produce the project under their banner Raaj Kamal Films International. On 9 March 2023, the project was confirmed by the production house. Tentatively titled STR 48, either Anirudh Ravichander, A. R. Rahman or Ravi Basrur were reported to score the music. A few days later, however, Rahman denied the reports in late August. Soon after, the reports of Anirudh and Basrur were also dismissed, as Devi Sri Prasad was reported to be a part of the technical crew.

Pre-production
Desingh revealed that he wrote the script with veteran actor Rajinikanth in mind. He also narrated it to the actor, but failed to impress him. He then narrated it to Silambarasan, without any changes, who was impressed by the first half. A muhurat puja was held on 22 May 2023 at the headquarters of Raaj Kamal Films International in Chennai with the presence of Haasan, Silambarasan and Periyasamy along with a few from the crew.

By late September, test-shootings had been done. The first promotional poster, hinting at a period action drama film, was released on 2 February 2024, coinciding the eve of Silambarasan's 41st birthday. Despite that the official title was not revealed, the poster featured a tagline – Blood and Battle. It showcased Silambarasan in a dual role, portraying both as courageous knight, a formidable army ready for battle against a backdrop of raging flames.

Casting
Silambarasan would be seen in dual roles, as the protagonist and antagonist, after playing so previously in Manmadhan (2004) and Silambattam (2008). In the middle of 2023, he went to Thailand, reportedly trained martial arts, and London, to undergo some special training for a few weeks, for his role. Soon after, Deepika Padukone was reported to have been approached to play an important role in the film.

Filming
Principal photography is reported to begin in April 2024.

Music
The music and background score is reported to be composed by Devi Sri Prasad, in his maiden collaboration with Periyasamy; second with Silambarasan, as the actor previously collaborated with Prasad as a singer for "Bullet Song" from the film The Warriorr (2022).