It is a busy month for Pradeep Ranganathan as he is gearing up for a dual release on October 17. The coveted date, which is the lead up to the Diwali weekend, and in turn the festival, will see the release of Keerthiswaran's Dude and Vignesh Shivan's Love Insurance Kompany (LIK), both with Pradeep as the lead. With two big releases in place, the actor-director says he is only focusing on acting for now, and has refuted to be at the helm of a big project.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter India, Pradeep denied the claim that he will be the director of the Rajinikanth-Kamal Haasan film. "I won't be doing that film. I am not doing it because I am focused on acting now, and I can't talk much about it," said the actor-director.

LIK will be Vignesh Shivan's return to the director's chair after 2022's Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal. The cast of the film also includes Krithi Shetty, SJ Suryah, and Seeman, amongst others. The film's trailer also bought back Anirudh's 'Ennakenna Yaarum Illaye' to prominence. The song, which was written by Vignesh, was initially made for Aakko, a film which is yet to be made.

Meanwhile, Dude is directed by debutant Keerthiswaran and features Sai Abhyankkar's music. Sai makes his Tamil cinema debut as a composer. Also making a Tamil cinema debut is Mamitha Baiju, who is known for her performance in Premalu.