Actor Gautham Karthik, who was last seen in the historical drama August 16 1947, is all set to explore grassroots-level politics in his next film, where he will be seen playing a party worker. Tentatively titled GK19, the upcoming film is set to be directed by debutant Dhina Raghavan, who previously worked as an associate director with director Raju Murugan, in films like Gypsy, Japan, and an episode in the anthology series, Modern Love: Chennai, titled Lalagunda Bommaigal.
“The film will discuss the lives of people in a locality in South Chennai and the local politics surrounding the area,” Dhina explains, sharing details about the story. “It will be a realistic account of their lives without any glorification or distortion. It would be on the lines of Joker and Mandela with Chennai as the backdrop,” he adds, revealing that the yet-to-be-titled film will authentically show their lives with humour laced inside it.
Born in Taramani, Dhina Raghavan shares that the characters are inspired by people he knew growing up. “I have seen many incidents growing up which will be reflected in this film. Everyone will be able to connect with it. The film will have humour that will be relatable to their everyday lives. After watching it, they will be able to understand politics better,” he adds. Dhina also assures that the film will stand out from the rest of Gautham Karthik’s filmography and says that the actor has not donned such a role before. “He plays a young local boy involved in grassroots-level politics. Gautham felt that the story was fresh and unique when I was narrating the script. He agreed to play the role right away,” he says.
The film will have dialogues by director Raju Murugan and will be produced by APV Maran and director Ganesh K Babu, who helmed the critically acclaimed Dada last year. “Ganesh Babu and I have known each other for a long time. We were classmates at the film institute. When we agreed to do a film together, our first choice was always Gautham Karthik. Producer APV Maran was a huge pillar of support. Raju Murugan has always spoken about common people and the politics they face. So, he too liked the story and came forward to pen the dialogues,” says the director.
While the makers are in the process of finalising the cast for prominent roles, further details regarding the title and the technical crew are expected to be announced soon. The film is expected to be released in April or May 2025.