Up to 70 per cent of production on director Mathimaran Pugazhendhi's Mandaadi, starring Soori and Suhas in key roles, has been completed, according to a press release from the film's makers. With production nearing completion, the makers are eyeing a summer 2026 release, also with dubs in Hindi and Telugu. They say that sailboat racing scenes are among the main highlights of the film, which is being mounted an expansive scale, with an estimated budget of 75 crore, and has a solid regional flavour. According to the makers, it is the biggest, most ambitious project in Soori's film career so far and sees the actor playing an "image-defining" character. Soori has performed the highly intense oceanic action scenes with no body double, in spite of the difficulty and risk involved in it, and has undergone a six-month-long training process for the sailboat sequences.
The said scenes are the film's unique selling proposition, say the makers, providing something unprecedented in the history of Indian cinema. The makers are using international stunt experts, such as Peter Hein, and sophisticated, sports-specific camera equipment, to help enhance the cinematic experience, particularly with regard to the racing sequences. Hein worked for around 60 days on Mandaadi to try and ensure that its stunt design is realistic, emotion-driven and intense.
The makers are expected to reveal the specific release date after the completion of production. It also stars Mahima Nambiar, Sathyaraj, Ravindra Vijay, Sachana Namidass, and Achyuth Kumar.
