Director Mani Ratnam has unveiled the title and first look of his next film, a romance drama called Inji Vellam starring Vijay Sethupathi and Sai Pallavi. The motion poster, released on Monday by Lyca Productions, shows the two actors sharing an intimate moment in the rain.

The title, which loosely translates to “ginger water”, hints at the nature of the central relationship: two contrasting personalities coming together in something warm and familiar. One is the ginger, the other the jaggery.

#InjiVellam #ManiRatnam @arrahman #Subaskaran @LycaProductions @VijaySethuOffl @Sai_Pallavi92 @sreekar_prasad #AvikMukhopadhayay @ekalakhani #SharmishtaRoy @BrindhaGopal1 @dhilipaction @AmbadyRanjith @bagapath @gkmtamilkumaran @sonymusicsouth @NetflixIndia @homescreenent… pic.twitter.com/QGOTEyKMRb

— Madras Talkies (@MadrasTalkies_) September 7, 2026

The motion poster has generated significant interest online, though the makers have chosen to hold back on details. No information about the story, the characters or the supporting cast has been revealed. What is known is that a substantial portion of the film has been shot in Kolkata, marking a departure from the South Indian settings that have characterised most of Ratnam’s recent work.

For Sai Pallavi, Inji Vellam is her first collaboration with Mani Ratnam. She is currently among Indian cinema’s most in-demand actresses, with her role in the upcoming Ramayana opposite Ranbir Kapoor being one of the most anticipated casting announcements of the year. For Vijay Sethupathi, the film marks a return to the Ratnam fold after Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, where he played the youngest of three brothers locked in a violent power struggle.

Avik Mukhopadhyay, whose previous work includes Piku and Sardar Udham, is behind the camera. Veteran editor Sreekar Prasad, a long-time Ratnam collaborator, handles the editing. The film is produced by Ratnam, Subaskaran and Siva Ananth under the Madras Talkies and Lyca Productions banners. It is listed as Madras Talkies’ 23rd production.

Mani Ratnam’s last release was Thug Life with Kamal Haasan, which received a mixed response. Before that, the Ponniyin Selvan duology had re-established him as a filmmaker capable of mounting large-scale spectacles that work both critically and commercially. With Inji Vellam, he returns to the intimate romance space that first defined his legacy, a space where he has historically been at his most personal and most powerful.