(This article is authored by Alar)

The Pongal 2024 box office is set to witness a fierce battle between three of the biggest stars of Tamil cinema - Rajinikanth, Dhanush and Sivakarthikeyan. Aishwarya Rajinikanth, who is returning to direction after a gap of 8 years, has announced his political drama ‘Lal Salaam’ as a Pongal release.

The film, which features Rajinikanth in a massive cameo role of a revolutionary leader has generated a lot of buzz among the fans and the media. However, Rajinikanth’s ‘Lal Salaam’ will have to face stiff competition from two other highly anticipated films - Dhanush’s ‘Captain Miller’ and Sivakarthikeyan’s ‘Ayalaan’.

Dhanush’s ‘Captain Miller’ is a period thriller, directed by Arun Matheswaran. The film promises to be a thrilling ride of rebellion and revolution against the British Raj. The film has a stellar star cast, including Kannada superstar Dr. Shivarajkumar, Telugu actor Sundeep Kishan, Priyanka Arul Mohan as the female lead, and many others.

Both Dhanush and Sivakarthikeyan have a huge fan following and their films are expected to perform well at the box office. Therefore, the Pongal 2024 box office is likely to witness a three-way clash, which could affect the collections of all the films. However, according to some sources, Rajinikanth’s ‘Lal Salaam’ makers are reconsidering their release date and might postpone the film to January 26, 2024.

If this news is true, then Rajinikanth’s ‘Lal Salaam’ will have a solo release, which is also the Republic Day holiday. This will give the film a huge advantage in terms of screen count and occupancy. The film will also have a longer run at the box office, as there are no major releases scheduled for the next few weeks, will also benefit from the positive word-of-mouth and the critical acclaim that it is expected to receive.

However, the official confirmation of the release date of Rajinikanth’s ‘Lal Salaam’ is yet to be made by the makers.  The film features the ensemble cast of the film, Vishnu Vishal and Vikranth, who play the roles of two cricketers and their mentors, where Ananthika Sanilkumar, Vivek Prasanna, Thangadurai plays pivotal roles.

The film is a sports entertainer, whereRajinikanth will share the screen with Nirosha, portraying Moideen's wife, and Jeevitha Rajashekar, playing Moideen's sister. The film will also feature a special appearance by former cricketer Kapil Dev, introducing an unexpected element for the audience. Cinematography is handled by Vishnu Rangasamy, where B Pravin Baaskar handles the editing, and the film's musical score has done by AR Rahman.