Rajinikanth's 1991 classic Thalapathi, starring himself, Mammootty and Arvind Swamy in lead roles is getting a re-release soon in theatres. The gangster action drama, directed by Mani Ratnam, is getting a 4K remastered version and will be released during Rajinikanth's 74th birthday on December 12.

The film also stars late actors Jaishankar, Amrish Puri, and Srividya, along with Bhanupriya, Shobana and Geetha in supporting roles.

Based on the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Thalapathi revolves around the friendship of Rajinikanth and Mammootty's characters which was created based on the characters of Karna and Duryodhana. The film is about a courageous slum dweller who befriends a powerful gangster and the attempts of a district collector to thwart them.

Thalapathi, which was the most expensive South Indian film at the time, was a critical and commercial success at the box office and is remembered fondly till date for its strong performances from the lead actors and the foot-tapping tunes by Ilaiyaraaja. The film's background score continues to remain one of the top scores of the composer. It is to be noted that Thalapathi was Ilaiyaraaja's last collaboration with Mani Ratnam.

The film's cinematography was handled by Santosh Sivan and was a production venture of GV Films, a banner founded and run by Mani Ratnam's late brother G Venkateswaran at the time of release. The studio is currently headed by producer Ishari K Ganesh.