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'Pushpa' star Allu Arjun's next film to be directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj
Filming is expected to begin later this year; Anirudh Ravichander will be its music director
- PUBLISHED: Thu 15 Jan 2026, 2:59 PM
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Indian filmmaker Lokesh Kanagaraj, who has delivered hits such as Coolie, Vikram, Kaithi, Leo and Master, is set to helm his next movie with Telugu superstar Allu Arjun, the lead actor in the Pushpa film franchise.
Kanagaraj, whose last movie Coolie starred a bevy of stars such as Rajinikanth, Nagarjuna, Soubin Shahir, Sathyaraj and Shruti Haasan, made the announcement on social media a day ago. The movie has been tentatively titled #AA23 and #LK7, referring to the number of films in their career so far.
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The director dropped an announcement video on social media that turned popular instantly. "Looking forward to kicking off this journey with you sir. Let's make it a massive blast," he wrote on X.
Blessed with the best @alluarjun #AALoki
— Lokesh Kanagaraj (@Dir_Lokesh) January 14, 2026
Looking forward to kicking off this journey with you sir ð¤
Let's make it a massive blast ð¥ð¥ð¥
Once again with my brother @anirudhofficial ð¥ð¥#AA23 #LK7 @MythriOfficial pic.twitter.com/AZpufiNI2t
The production house Mythri Movie Makers will bankroll the film, with Anirudh Ravichander—who has previously worked with Kanagaraj on Master, Leo and Coolie—serving as its music composer.
Filming is set to begin later this year.
Arjun, meanwhile, has an ongoing project, titled AA22*A6 with director Atlee, which also stars Deepika Padukone in the lead. Produced by Kalanithi Maran's Sun Pictures, the movie is touted as a science fiction film. Arjun's movie with Kanagaraj is speculated to go on the floors after filming for Atlee's project.
Allu Arjun was last seen in Pushpa 2: The Rule (2024), the second instalment in the Pushpa film series. The movie, which also starred Rashmika Mandanna, Fahadh Faasil and Jagapathi Babu, was a hit at the box office, grossing more than Rs 1.8 billion globally.
Kanagaraj's Coolie, which released in August last year, released to mixed reviews but turned out to be a box office hit. Among its highlights were Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan featuring in a cameo and Nagarjuna playing the villain.
