Amid speculations about the OTT release of several big-budget movies in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the makers of actor Rajinikanth’s most-awaited movie Annaatthe announced that the film will hit the big screen as scheduled earlier. Confirming that the movie will release in theatres, production house Sun Pictures tweeted on Thursday, “#AnnaattheDeepavali ku ready ah?! (sic).” The movie is scheduled to hit the big screens on November 4 for Deepavali.

Bankrolled by Kalanithi Maran under the banner of Sun Pictures, Annaatthe stars an ensemble cast including actors Rajinikanth, Meena, Khushboo, Nayanthara, Keerthy Suresh, Jackie Shroff, Jagapathi Babu, Prakash Raj, Soori and Sathish among others. Touted to be a rural drama, the movie is helmed by director Siva, who is well-known for his Kollywood film Siruthai, starring Karthi and Tamannaah Bhatia. Composer D Imman has been roped in to compose the background score and soundtracks for the movie. Ruben is on board as the editor, while Annaatthe has cinematography by Vetri.

Superstar Rajinikanth wrapped up shooting for the movie in the month of May and returned to Chennai from Hyderabad in a chartered flight. The images taken at the airport were widely circulated among fans. A photo from the sets of Annaatthe went viral on social media, wherein the star is seen along with director Siva. The photo, taken with the sun near the horizon in the background, shows the actor in traditional clothing. The photo captures the actor and director sharing a laugh. The background has a hand-drawn cart and plenty of trees, indicating it was taken in a rural area.

Earlier this year, actor Rajinikanth was conferred with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award. Presented by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting under the Directorate of Film Festivals, the award is considered to be India’s highest film honour.