'Thalapathy' Vijay is gearing up for the release of his Varisu, which is set to open in a grand manner in cinemas worldwide in January 2023. As the countdown begins for the Tamil superstar's Pongal release, there is also tremendous buzz for his Thalapathy 67, which has him reuniting with blockbuster filmmaker Lokesh Kanagaraj after their 2021 box office money-spinner Master. With a formal pooja ceremony already performed, fans continue to wait for the official announcement of the cast and the crew of the film, which is still kept under wraps. As the talk continues to keep getting bigger and bigger, leading Tamil producer-distributor Dr. Dhananjayan Govind sat down for an exclusive interview and addressed whether Thalapathy 67 will be set in the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU). 

Upon being asked whether Vijay's Thalapathy 67 too will be set in the LCU, Dhananjayan said, "Since Lokesh Kanagaraj hasn't said anything, we can't speak about it. As of now, it's a universal story. The most important thing to take away from this is that it will be Vijay sir's first pan-Indian film. That's guaranteed. He hasn't done a pan-Indian film till now. When you say pan-Indian film, K.G.F: Chapter 2 is a clear-cut pan-Indian film. RRR also is a pan-Indian film. They planned to make it as such. Now, Kantara is not a pan-Indian film. Only after it became a hit, it went to different regions. Ponniyin Selvan wasn't planned as a pan-Indian film. They planned to make it in Tamil and released it in other places. When one says the word 'pan-Indian', it begins with the planning of the story, the cast and the crew, and the making." 

Explaining how Thalapathy 67 will be a pan-Indian film, Dhananjayan stated, "If you look at this film, they are going to shoot it all over India in locations like Kashmir and other places. So, the story, the cast, and crew, the making, and the announcement is going to become pan-Indian. For a wider reach, they are planning it to be a pan-Indian film. So, Lalit Kumar sir is clear that this will be the pan-Indian film he will be making with 'Thalapathy'. Vijay sir too has said that this has to be brought to audiences as a grand venture in terms of making just as how KGF 2 created a huge excitement all over India. As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, Vijay sir doesn't have any problems. There will be instant excitement for his films here. His goal now is to create a big expectation for this film across the country in all the states. So, the positioning has to be on that line and the cast and crew, the look, and the story will definitely be pan-Indian. Whether it will be set in the LCU, Lokesh Kanagaraj should say. When I say pan-Indian story, it's not a story set around a nativity in Tamil Nadu or the politics of the state. It will be a pan-Indian story, which will be loved by everyone worldwide. Rather than saying it is pan-Indian, it will be a story appealing to pan-world audiences."

When queried about the star cast in Vijay's Thalapathy 67, producer Dhananjayan said, "They're still finalizing it. Lalit sir told me to wait for some time and not reveal anything. He'll reveal when the announcement is made. He said that there has to be an element of surprise. Sanjay Dutt's casting is guaranteed. That's already been confirmed. They have finalized a few other artistes and they don't want to reveal anything as of now. You must have heard that Arjun sir is there in the cast too. They've brought him on board to appeal to audiences in Tamil, Telugu, and Karnataka. There are many other artistes as well who will be announced later."

Watch G. Dhananjayan speak about Vijay and Lokesh Kanagaraj's Thalapathy 67 in the video below: