Santhanam’s next film has a premise that stands out from his usual comedy fare. Santa 20 is a time-loop detective thriller, following an aspiring sleuth who stumbles into a crime that sends him looping through time. It sounds closer to a Tamil spin on Groundhog Day meets Knives Out than the typical Santhanam vehicle, though the makers promise the comedian’s trademark humour is very much intact.
Shooting is now underway in Chennai. The film is directed by Sudhaman Krishna and jointly produced by Venus Infotainment’s K.J. Ganesh and K7 Studios’ Vijay K. Celliah. Venus Infotainment has a track record with offbeat Tamil films, having previously backed the critically acclaimed Yaathisai and Kumaara Sambavam.
Gopika Ramesh plays the female lead opposite Santhanam. The supporting cast includes several familiar comedy faces: Redin Kingsley, George Marian, Pradeep Antony, Jenson Dhivakar, TSR and Fouzee. That lineup suggests the film won’t skimp on laughs even as it plays with genre.
The technical team is notable. Nivas K. Prasanna, who has scored films like Soodhu Kavvum and Irudhi Suttru, handles the music. Dhilip Subbarayan, one of Tamil cinema’s busiest stunt choreographers, is on action duties. Praveen KL, known for his editing work on the Kaithi and Vikram franchise, is cutting the film. Richard M. Nathan is behind the camera.
For Santhanam, who has been on a prolific run in recent years, Santa 20 represents a chance to combine his comedy chops with a genre framework that could give the film a distinctive identity. A time-travel detective comedy is a relatively untested space in Tamil cinema, and the pairing of that concept with Santhanam’s screen presence could be interesting.
Santa 20 is currently filming in Chennai. A release date has not been announced.