Guneet Monga and Achin Jain's Sikhya Entertainment banner is joining hands with filmmaker Karthik Subbaraj for the first time for a Tamil film. It commenced production in Madurai with a pooja ceremony earlier today. The film marks Karthik's tenth as a director. Most recently, he directed Retro, starring Suriya, Pooja Hegde, and Joju George in important roles.
Sikhya Entertainment is known for titles such as The Lunchbox, Pagglait, Masaan, and Kathal, which recently won the National Film Award for Best Hindi Film. The banner also backed The Elephant Whisperers, the first Academy Award-winning documentary short film from India.
Talking about the film, Guneet stated, “At Sikhya, we’ve always believed in nurturing original voices and telling homegrown bold stories that travel across cultures. Partnering with Karthik feels like a natural extension of that mission. Karthik’s cinema is rooted, inventive and wildly original, yet universal in emotion. He bridges mass appeal and auteur vision with such ease, and I’m excited to be on this journey with Karthik.”
On the other hand, Karthik Subbaraj shared, “I’ve always admired the kind of cinema Sikhya stands for, it truly aligns with the artistic vision i crave to always execute. Collaborating with Guneet and Achin, who have built a legacy of meaningful and award-winning films, is truly special and I’m excited that we are going in this together. This story we’re creating is something very close to my heart, and I’m glad to have found the right producers for the same. Looking forward to this new and exciting collaboration.”
Meanwhile, Achin Jain, expressed his excitement about the collaboration, saying, “Karthik brings a rare balance of craft and instinct, he’s cult and commercial at the same time. His films are unpredictable yet deeply emotional. We’re excited to collaborate with a filmmaker who understands both the pulse of the audience and the heart of storytelling. This partnership reflects Sikhya’s mission to take powerful rooted stories and express them through a truly global cinematic language.”
The makers are yet to reveal further details about the film, such as its cast and crew.
