Anjali is all set to join hands with debut director Ashok Velayutham for her milestone 50th film. Titled Eegai, the film also stars Telugu actor Suniel and Bharathiraja in prominent roles. 

Opening up about the story of Eegai, director Ashok says, "Anjali plays a Mumbai-based student, who returns to her native of Chennai to study law. In her 24-hour train journey, she passes through Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. She witnesses a murder in Andhra Pradesh, which is recorded as a missing case in Chennai. How she, along with a new police officer, investigates the case forms the rest of the story." 

The term Eegai is not commonly used in Tamil. Sharing that the term is associated with positivity, Ashok further says, "Eegai means charity. Charity or Eegai is the solution to the conflict in the story."

Shedding more light on Anjali's character in Eegai, Ashok says,  "She comes from a slum where the primary profession of the inhabitants is to make first-copy shoes of popular brands. The daughter of one such cobbler, Anjali's character decides to become a lawyer." Further, Ashok also reveals that he only had Anjali in his mind while penning the script. "Anjali is not only a commercially viable actor but also has the face value to espouse pertinent messages."

When asked why he chose the protagonist of his debut film to be a woman, the filmmaker says, "I have always had the habit of reading books. So far, I have almost read 2000 novels. One common factor I have found across books is that the one taking charge of a revolutionary is always a male. In reality, it is women such as Indira Gandhi and Jayalalithaa, who have left behind an identity... a mark. So, I thought why not have a woman lead a film with a social message?"

While Suniel will be seen in a negative shade, Eegai also stars Abi Nakshatra, Nishant Raghu, Krishna Chander, Prince, Surekha Vani, Radha, TSR, GP Muthu, Hari, and Vamsi Krishna in pivotal roles. 

Shot largely in Tamil and Telugu, Eegai will be dubbed in Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi. "As the film chronicles a journey from Mumbai to Chennai, we are shooting the film in Maharashtra, Hyderabad, Chennai, and a few other locations."  

Eegai is set to go on floors on June 9. "We have only planned for two schedules of 50 days in total," says Ashok says as he also reveals that the makers are aiming for a release in December 2023 or January 2024.  

Eegai is backed by Green Entertainment and D3 Productions. The technical crew of the film consists of cinematographer Sridhar, composer Dharan Kumar, and editor Praveen KL.