Leading South Indian actress Rashmika Mandanna was announced on Wednesday to be playing the female lead in Tamil superstar Vijay's next, the tentatively titled Thalapathy 66, which is being produced by Dil Raju's Sri Venkateswara Creations banner and will be directed by Vamshi Paidipally of Thozha and Maharshi fame. Touted to be a family-centric story along the lines of Vijay's Poove Unakkaga and Thulladha Manamum Thullum, the upcoming film's pooja was held on Thursday, with the leading Tamil star, Rashmika, producer Dil Raju and director Vamshi taking part in the proceedings along with the rest of the cast and crew. 

Thalapathy 66 is incidentally Rashmika's second Tamil film after she made her debut earlier this year in the Karthi-starrer Sulthan, which was directed by Bakkiyaraj Kannan of Remo fame under the Dream Warrior Pictures banner. Rashmika, who has been declared the National Crush of India, charmed her way into the hearts of the Tamil people even before she was cast in Karthi's Sulthan. Her casting opposite Vijay has been a long-time wish of many fans, especially after she revealed on a number of occasions that she is an ardent fan of the Tamil superstar. 

Like Thalapathy 66 is Rashmika's second Tamil film, Vijay's last two films too had a striking similarity as actress Malavika Mohanan played the heroine in Master, which came out as a grand Pongal 2021 release and went on to become the biggest blockbuster of the Tamil film industry last year. Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj under Xavier Britto's XB Film Creations banner in association with Lalit Kumar's 7 Screen Studios and featuring music by Anirudh Ravichander, Malavika was a catalyst in Master, which was also her second Tamil film after she appeared in a pivotal role in 'Superstar' Rajinikanth's 2019 blockbuster Petta. 

In a similar fashion, youth sensation Pooja Hegde has played the heroine in 'Thalapathy' Vijay's Beast, which will open in theatres worldwide on April 13. The film is expected to take a stunning opening and will be Pooja's second Tamil venture after she was last seen more than a decade back in director Mysskin's Mugamoodi opposite Jiiva.