Chennai, Jan 1 (IANS): 'Thunivu', the much-anticipated Pongal release of the Tamil superstar Ajith Kumar, will hit the screens across the globe on January 11.

The Pongal release is slated to be the first blockbuster movie of 2023 from the Tamil cinema industry.

The movie has Malayalam 'Lady Superstar' Manju Warrier playing a major role as the crime partner of Ajith's character. The duo has done some high-voltage action scenes in the movie.

The makers of the movie have not released details of the character played by Ajith Kumar. They have released a poster in which Ajith's character is seen standing with a gun in between currency notes.

The movie directed by H. Vinoth also has Tamil character actor Samudrakani playing the role of a police officer, Dayalan. The posters of 'Thunivu' seem to depict that Ajith Kumar is likely to be confronted by Samudrakani's Dayalan.

The Tamil character actor G.M. Sundar is playing the role of Muthazhagan, a pivotal role in the movie.

John Kokken, who usually plays the villain in Tamil movies, is once again appearing as a baddie in the movie. His character Krish is a businessman with shades of grey.

Director H. Vinoth and Ajith Kumar are collaborating for the third time for a movie. They have had successive movies in 'Neerkonda Paarvai' and 'Valimai'.

There were rumours that the movie was based on a major bank heist that took place in the country, but all that H. Vinoth is prepared to say is that it is an entertainer.

The movie's music is by Ghibran. Nirav Shah wields the camera, Vijay Velukutty is the film's editor and Milan the art direction.