Filmmaker Pa Ranjith is set to highlight the traditional Indian sport of Mallakhamba through his upcoming Pan-India film Vettuvam. The director has revealed the movie’s first poster, featuring performers climbing a Mallakhamba pole and suggesting that the centuries-old discipline may have an important place in the film’s story.
The poster provides the first look at the world of Vettuvam, which marks Pa Ranjith’s first Pan-India film. While the makers have kept the storyline largely under wraps, the prominent Mallakhamba imagery has already raised interest in how the traditional sport will be incorporated into the narrative.
Mallakhamba originated in the Indian subcontinent and is a traditional sport in which athletes perform aerial yoga and gymnastics movements while using wrestling grips and moving around a fixed vertical pole. Through Vettuvam, the sport may receive a fresh cinematic platform and introduce its distinctive form of physical discipline to audiences on a wider scale.
A major glimpse of Vettuvam is scheduled to be released on September 18, 2026, at 12 pm. The makers shared the poster on social media with the caption, “A world beyond all we’ve known. A world unlike any other...”
Actor Sobhita Dhulipala, who made her Tamil debut with Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan films, is part of the cast of Vettuvam. The film also stars Kalaiyarasan, Mime Gopi, Guru Somasundaram, Shabeer Kallarakkal, John Vijay, Sai Dheena, Anand Saami, Harish Uthaman, Lizzy, Lingesh Prem Kumar, Kavitha Bharathi, Arjun, Santha Kumar, Melody, Manisha, Nimmy Raphael, Vikram, Naveen and Prakash.
G. V. Prakash Kumar is handling the music for Vettuvam, reuniting with Pa Ranjith after their collaboration on Thangalaan (2024). The technical team includes cinematographer Roopesh Shaji, editor Selva RK, art director SS Murthi and action choreographer Dhilip Subbarayan.
