Actor Ajith Kumar's next film, the tentatively titled AK 61, began its shooting in April and is the third consecutive occasion the superstar is collaborating with director H. Vinoth and producer Boney Kapoor. Announced to be an action adventure, the upcoming film jointly being produced by Boney Kapoor's Bayview Projects LLP in association with Zee Studios will be the next for Ajith and H. Vinoth after their critically-acclaimed Nerkonda Paarvai (2019) and Valimai, which released earlier this year. With production on AK 61 currently progressing at a brisk pace and a major chunk of filming already done, Boney Kapoor recently sat down for an interview with Galatta to promote Udhayanidhi Stalin's Nenjuku Needhi, which is coming out under his banner, in theatres worldwide on May 20.
Boney Kapoor, who was queried about the villain in AK 61 during the interview, went on to officially announce the heroine of the film to be leading Malayalam actress Manju Warrier. Last seen in Tamil cinema in the 2019 box office blockbuster Asuran, Manju's performance in the film was hailed by fans and critics and was one of the biggest USPs of the Dhanush-starrer. It will be interesting to witness the National Award-winning actress alongside Ajith, who has been on a roll after back-to-back box office successes with his Viswasam, Nerkonda Paarvai, and Valimai. Asserting that Manju Warrier is a huge star, Boney Kapoor declared that it is "gratifying" to have her onboard AK 61 and hailed her by calling her a "fantastic actor."
Despite speculations on social media suggesting that Ajith would have negative shades to his character in AK 61 along the lines of his role in Mankatha, Boney Kapoor continues to maintain a silent stance and thus raises the curiosity among fans. The excitement for AK 61 shot up after it was revealed that Ajith would be sporting a completely different look in comparison to the role he played in Valimai after photos showed the star looked uber cool with a hipster beard. Apart from AK 61, Ajith has also been announced to be collaborating with director Vignesh Shivan for AK 62 under the Lyca Productions banner, which is being planned for a mid-2023 release.
Watch Boney Kapoor open about Ajith Kumar's AK 61 and more in the interview below: