Mamitha Baiju has landed a major break in her career as she will be starring opposite Suriya in his next film, directed by Venky Atluri. The official launch of the project, Suriya’s 46th, took place recently in Hyderabad with a traditional puja ceremony. The film brings together a strong cast that includes Raveena Tandon and Radhika Sarathkumar and is being backed by Sithara Entertainments. G.V. Prakash Kumar will handle the music, while Nimish Ravi is in charge of cinematography.
For Mamitha, this casting carries more weight than just another role. She has been open in interviews about how much she has admired Suriya from a young age and how much she has wanted to work with him. The two almost shared screen space earlier in Vanangaan, but the project underwent major changes. Suriya left the film due to creative differences, and Mamitha was eventually replaced. Though she had already shot scenes with him, that version of the film never saw the light of day.
Now, with Suriya 46, that opportunity has finally come full circle.
Mamitha’s rise has been steady. After beginning with smaller roles, she became widely known after the Malayalam blockbuster Premalu. Though she hasn’t had another Malayalam release since, she is increasingly being cast in Tamil films. Her Tamil debut, Rebel, didn’t do well commercially, but her performance opened more doors. She’s also part of Jana Nayagan, which marks Vijay’s final film before entering politics, and Dude, where she stars opposite Pradeep Ranganathan.
Suriya, meanwhile, was last seen in Retro, directed by Karthik Subbaraj. The film earned praise for its performances, though its writing in the latter half received criticism. His earlier big-budget film Kanguva also had mixed commercial results. With back-to-back releases that didn’t quite become blockbusters, Suriya 46 is expected to be a key film in his lineup.
Directed by Atluri, who was praised for Lucky Baskhar, this new project is shaping up to be an important collaboration for both Suriya and Mamitha. The shoot is set to begin on 30 May. For Mamitha, it’s not just a film but a long-delayed wish finally taking form.
