The much-anticipated reunion film pairing Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, tentatively titled KHxRK, may not begin shooting until 2027, according to reports by Pinkvilla. The delay stems from a scheduling collision involving all three principal figures: director Nelson Dilipkumar is currently completing Jailer 2, Rajinikanth has lined up projects through the next three years, and Kamal Haasan is committed to multiple films including the Kalki 2898 AD sequel.
Red Giant Movies announced the project on February 21, 2026, with a promotional glimpse that immediately became one of the most-watched Indian film teasers of the year. The video confirmed Nelson Dilipkumar as director and Anirudh Ravichander as composer, a combination that produced the Rs 600 crore worldwide blockbuster Jailer in 2023, whose sequel has itself faced delays and is now targeting a September or Diwali 2026 release window.
The reunion carries extraordinary weight in Indian cinema. Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan shared the screen in more than a dozen films during the late 1970s and early 1980s, appearing together in a string of Tamil classics including Apoorva Raagangal, Moondru Mudichu, Avargal, 16 Vayathinile, and Ninaithale Inikkum. Their final proper co-starring vehicle was the 1979 fantasy film Allauddinum Albhutha Vilakkum, with Kamal making a brief cameo in Rajinikanth’s 1981 comedy Thillu Mullu. The two then pursued separate solo careers through what became a mutual understanding, each becoming the defining star of successive generations of Tamil audiences.
Latha Rajinikanth, the actor’s wife, told NDTV in an interview aired on June 14 that the reunion represented “a great moment for the film industry.” Her comment reflected the sentiment across the Tamil film world, where the announcement has been treated less as a production update and more as a cultural event. Red Giant Movies, the production house behind the film, described it as a “historic and emotional moment for Indian cinema” when it was first revealed, according to Variety.
The project is expected to release in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi, reflecting the pan-Indian ambitions that now define major South Indian productions. Reports from the announcement period suggested that Nelson Dilipkumar plans to shoot parts of the film using traditional celluloid rather than digital cameras, adopting the visual grammar of the 1980s and 1990s era when both stars were at the peak of their powers. The stylistic choice would be a deliberate callback to the period when Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan were redefining what Tamil cinema could look and feel like.
The scheduling challenge is significant. Rajinikanth, who turned 75 in December 2025, has mapped out professional commitments for the next three years. After Jailer 2, he moves to Thalaivar 173 with director Ashwath Marimuthu, with shooting reportedly beginning in late June 2026. Only after completing that film would he be available for KHxRK. Multiple artists have reportedly expressed interest in joining the project, even in minor roles, underscoring the prestige the film commands within the broader South Indian film industry.
Kamal Haasan, 72, faces his own scheduling constraints. He is currently committed to KH237, directed by the stunt choreographer duo AnbAriv, and to the second installment of Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD, the Telugu science fiction epic in which he plays the antagonist Supreme Yaskin. The Kalki sequel is filming through 2026, and Nag Ashwin has indicated that production will proceed at a “rapid pace.” Only once both commitments are cleared could Kamal realistically begin work on KHxRK.
The delay, while disappointing to fans who had hoped for a 2026 start date, is consistent with the scale of ambition the project represents. Nelson Dilipkumar, whose commercial instincts produced some of South Indian cinema’s biggest recent box office performances, is unlikely to rush a film that carries the combined legacy of two actors whose careers span more than a century of screen time between them. For now, the glimpse released in February remains the only official material, and the industry waits for a firm production timeline that may not materialize until well into 2027.
