Leading South Indian actress Nayanthara is celebrating her birthday today (November 18) and wishes have been pouring in from celebrities and personalities from all walks of life and fans on social media. Currently attached to several high-profile ventures, she will also be seen in the much-awaited Connect, which is billed to be an intense horror thriller and has been directed by filmmaker Ashwin Saravanan under Vignesh Shivan’s under the Rowdy Pictures banner. In light of Nayanthara’s birthday celebrations, a dark and gritty teaser for Connect has now been released giving audiences a big glimpse of the film, which has been announced for a theatrical release on December 22. 

The gripping Connect teaser starts off with visuals of the major landmarks of Chennai city before Nayanthara and veteran actors Sathyaraj and Anupam Kher are shown, followed by up-and-coming musical artiste Haniya Nafisa being introduced as a child possessed by a demonic spirit. The teaser is short and does not delve too much into explaining the circumstances of the horror that awaits fans in cinemas this December. Connect marks Nayanthara's reunion with filmmaker Ashwin Saravanan after their 2015 hit, Maya, and the film has been revealed to have a runtime of 95 minutes, with no intermission. 

Announced last year on Nayanthara's birthday, Connect has been revealed to be "set during the national lockdown in India" and also stars Doctor fame Vinay Rai and is director Ashwin Saravanan's next big film after his Game Over in 2019, which starred Taapsee Pannu, and went on to become a major success around the country. The upcoming film's story and screenplay have been written by Ashwin Saravanan and Kaavya Ramkumar, with the technical team featuring the likes of cinematographer Manikantan Krishnamachary, editor Richard Kevin, music director Prithvi Chandrasekhar, art directors Sreeraman and Siva Sankar, followed by costume designs by Anu Vardhan and Kavitha J. 

Watch Nayanthara's dark and gritty Connect teaser below: