Actor Balaji Murugadoss, who recently appeared in Fire, is already gearing up for his next. The actor will be seen leading a film titled Runner. The sports drama, directed by debutant Chidambaram A Anbazhagan, will have Balaji playing a sprinter striving to make it to the Olympics. Runner is being produced by Caleb and Galvin under their Rhinos Rampage Films. Chidambaram previously worked as an associate director in the yet-to-be-released Jackie Shroff-Sunny Leone-starrer Quotation Gang.
Speaking about Runner, the director says that the story is loosely based on an international athlete. “I have written the screenplay after reading articles about the athlete. We will reveal the athlete’s identity in the credits,” shares the writer-director. On how Runner will differ from other sports films, the filmmaker says, “Besides showing the struggles of the protagonist to qualify for the Olympics from Tamil Nadu, the film will have elements of an emotional drama, without artificial masala moments. Runner will also explore a small part of the character’s personal life, including the sacrifices of his family to help him accomplish his dreams.” While the makers are looking for additional cast members, they have roped in real athletes for the film. According to the director, Balaji is undergoing significant physical transformation for his role. “When real sprinters are performing along with him, we cannot mask his deficiencies with cinematic liberties,” says Chidambaram. The filmmaker also reveals that Runner’s conflict is organic and does not have any political elements. On choosing the sports drama genre for his debut, the director says, “Sports is the best way to prevent youngsters from getting into vices such as drugs. It is an interesting genre to stage a motivational story.”
Currently in pre-production, Runner plans to go on floors in a month. The technical team has cinematographer Rajesh Kannan editor TM Dilip Kumar, and music by Dharshan Ravi Kumar. While a release date is yet to be announced, the makers are targeting a January 2026 release.