Hero of the People) is an upcoming Indian Tamil-language political action thriller film[3] directed by H. Vinoth and produced by KVN Productions.

The film stars Vijay, Pooja Hegde and Bobby Deol in the lead roles, alongside Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj, Narain, Priyamani, Mamitha Baiju, Monisha Blessy and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar.

The film has music composed by Anirudh Ravichander, cinematography handled by Sathyan Sooryan and editing by Pradeep E. Ragav.

On 2 February 2024, Vijay announced through his social media accounts that he would step into politics after completing his ongoing projects, The Greatest of All Time (2024) and another film tentatively titled Thalapathy 69.

[21][22] Vinoth revisited Vijay with the script,[23] who reportedly accepted a ₹275 crore (US$31 million) deal, making him the highest-paid Indian actor, surpassing Shah Rukh Khan and Rajinikanth.

[24] In August, Vinoth confirmed his role as director, receiving ₹15–20 crore,[25][26] with Venkat K. Narayana's KVN Productions funding the project in their first Tamil venture.

[1] The project was set to be announced on 22 June, Vijay's birthday, with shooting commencing from the following month,[29] but was postponed with the actor's request.

[40] A muhurat puja was held on 4 October 2024, the second day of Navaratri, at Prime Studio in Chennai with the film's cast and crew.

[41][42] In early October 2024, Sathyan Sooryan was announced as the cinematographer, marking his second film with Vinoth after Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru (2017) and Vijay after Master (2021).

[56][57] Hegde's statement after the formal launch, "Halamithi and Habibo Reunites", a reference to the first single from Beast, "Arabic Kuthu", went viral on social media.

[58] Hindi actor Bobby Deol was confirmed to play the main antagonist,[59] in his second Tamil film following Kanguva (2024).

[62] Gautham Vasudev Menon,[63] Narain,[64] Priyamani,[65] Prakash Raj,[66] and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar would play prominent roles.

[74] Shiva Rajkumar, during the promotions of Bhairathi Ranagal (2024), stated that he was approached by Vinoth for an important role; however, the director later withdrew the offer due to reasons unknown.

[82] Initially, the second schedule was planned to take place in Hyderabad, but the production remained in Chennai at the request of Vijay.

[91] After a reported seven days of rehearsals in late November, production resumed at a constructed set in Chennai with an action sequence between Vijay and Deol, which lasted for three weeks.

[111] Vijay was reported to sing one of the tracks in the album, his subsequent fifth collaboration with Anirudh as a singer, after "Selfie Pulla" from Kaththi, "Kutti Story" from Master, "Jolly O Gymkhana" from Beast and "Naa Ready" from Leo.

[116] Another poster released later the same day has him holding a whip, and the caption "Naan Aanai Ittaal", referencing the song from Enga Veettu Pillai (1965).