Director Lokesh Kanagaraj’s acting debut DC has received rave reviews from both critics and audiences. Whatever its eventual box office fate, the film has already done something important for Lokesh: it has given the Lokesh brand a fresh facelift.
Lokesh Kanagaraj is not the director of DC, but his performance has been widely appreciated, and the film has once again put his name in the spotlight. For a filmmaker whose brand is strongly associated with stylish action and intense cinematic worlds, getting a positive response as an actor adds another interesting dimension to his image.
But there is another major reason why DC could be particularly important for his next film. Anirudh Ravichander’s background score has emerged as one of the biggest highlights of DC. And now, Anirudh is heading straight into AA23, Lokesh’s upcoming collaboration with Allu Arjun.
Lokesh and Anirudh have already formed one of the most exciting filmmaker-composer combinations in Indian cinema. From Master and Vikram to Leo and Coolie, Anirudh’s music and background scores have played a huge role in creating the atmosphere and hype around Lokesh’s films.
With DC once again reminding audiences of what Anirudh can do in a Lokesh-associated project, expectations for their AA23 combination have naturally gone through the roof.
And this time, they have Allu Arjun in the mix. Allu Arjun is currently busy with Raaka, his collaboration with Atlee, which is expected to release in 2027. Once that film is completed, he is expected to move on to AA23.
Lokesh has already reportedly started the groundwork for the project. He has opened an office in Hyderabad and is expected to handle much of the pre-production work from there. The plan is reportedly to complete the script and move into production by December.
There is strong industry buzz that AA23 could have a mythological backdrop. If true, this would be new territory for Lokesh, who has largely built his identity around crime, action, and gangster dramas.
There is also speculation about another major star joining Allu Arjun, with Shahid Kapoor’s name strongly being discussed. Nothing has been finalized yet, though.
For now, the biggest takeaway is that DC has given Lokesh’s brand another massive boost at exactly the right time. Anirudh has delivered another banger BGM in a Lokesh-associated film. And the same Lokesh Kanagaraj-Anirudh combination is now heading into AA23 with Allu Arjun.
That is a seriously exciting combination. AA23 couldn’t have hoped for anything better to start with.
