The route is clear and the race is gone for Valimai as the Ajith Kumar starred is all set to hit the big screens as the single major release during the Pongal festival after SS Rajamouli's magnum opus 'RRR' has deferred its release owing to the Covid spread. While it was speculated that Valimai will also opt for another postponement as the cases are growing in Chennai and across Tamil Nadu, there has been no sign from the production team that the movie release will be referred and the team has been busy promoting the movie. 

Valimai has been slated for the theatrical release on January 13, 2022, while RRR was scheduled to hit the screens on January 7. However, days ahead of the release, RRR has announced that the release has got deferred and the team hasn't revealed the new date. In an official statement, the RRR team has said, "In spite of our relentless efforts, some situations are beyond our control. As many Indian states are closing theatres, we are left with no choice but to ask you to hold on to your excitement. We promised to bring back the glory of Indian cinema, and at the right time, we will." 

As RRR's release has been postponed, Valimai is all set to give a big opening for the cinema in 2022 as it has become the first big movie to hit the theatres in 2022. Late last week, the movie team has released the Valimai trailer and it has garnered a massive reception from across and beyond the borders. On December 31, 2021, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBSC) has awarded a U/A certificate for Valimai, which has a runtime of 2 hours 58 minutes and 35 seconds. 

The trailer of Valimai was released on December 30 at 6.30 pm as the New Year treat for the Ajith fans. The trailer, which runs for three minutes, has promised a new avatar from Ajith and an interesting and intriguing thriller that would make the years-long wait of the fans worth it. Ajith has played the role of a police officer and the trailer has presented the power of Ajith and his comeback to the thriller stories. The actor looks smart and energetic and the story would furiously revolve around a crime and investigation.

On December 31, within a day of its release, the trailer has got 15 million views on YouTube and the unprecedented scale of views had shown how the fans were yearning for the trailer. The fans have been trending the hashtag #ValimaiTrailer on social media and they are getting ready to celebrate the Valimai Pongal. Valimai is produced by Boney Kapoor under the banner of Bayview Projects and Zee Studios. While Ajith plays the lead role, Huma Qureshi, Karthikeya Gummakonda, Gurbani Judge, Yogi Babu, Achyuth Kumar, and Pavel Navageethan will be playing crucial roles. Yuvan Shankar Raja has composed the music while Nirav Shah and Vijay Velukutty had done cinematography and editing respectively.  

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government has passed a new order stating that theatres should operate only with 50% of occupancy, in light of the Omicron spread. The production team has inked the deal with various releasing units to release the movie in the neighbouring states and other countries. However, while the Tamil Nadu government has curbed the 100% attendance in the theatres, the governments of the neighbouring states like Kerala and Karnataka are considering closing the theatres due to the Covid-19 spread and in such case, Valimai would suffer a setback.