''Benz'' is an upcoming Indian

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

-language

action thriller film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...

directed by

Bakkiyaraj Kannan Bakkiyaraj Kannan (born 2 April 1987) is an Indian film director who works in Tamil film industry. He has directed two films: ''Remo'' (2016) and '' Sulthan'' (2021). Personal life Kannan married Asha in October 2020. Career When studying ...

, who co-wrote the film with Lokesh Kanagaraj. Produced by Passion Studios, The Route and G Squad, it is the fourth instalment in the

Lokesh Cinematic Universe The Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU), also known as the Lokiverse, is an Indian media franchise and shared universe of Tamil-language action thriller films created by Lokesh Kanagaraj. It is currently the highest-grossing Tamil film franchise. ...

(LCU) and the first entry in the LCU not directed by Lokesh. The film stars

Raghava Lawrence Raghava Lawrence (born Lawrence Murugaiyan) is an Indian actor, choreographer, film director, composer, playback singer, lyricist, film producer and philanthropist known for his works primarily in Tamil cinema. After making his debut as a dance ...

in the titular role, alongside

Nivin Pauly Nivin Pauly (born 11 October 1984) is an Indian actor and producer who works predominantly in Malayalam films. He is the recipient of two Kerala State Film Awards, three Filmfare Awards South, two Kerala Film Critics Association Awards, and ...

and

Samyuktha ''Samyuktha'' is a 1988 Indian Kannada-language thriller film directed by K. N. Chandrashekar Sharma. The story is based on a novel of same name by Kakolu Saroja Rao. The film stars Shiva Rajkumar, Balaraj, Chi Guru Dutt and debutant actress V ...

. The film was officially announced in April 2024, and its inclusion in the LCU was announced that October.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

began in May 2025. The music is composed by Sai Abhyankkar, cinematography will be handled by Goutham George and editing by Philomin Raj.

Cast

as Benz *

as Walter *

Production

In September 2022, two months after the release of '' Gulu Gulu'', it was reported that director Rathna Kumar would collaborate with actor

for a potential project and Lokesh Kanagaraj, whom Kumar had earlier worked with in ''Master'' (2021) and ''Vikram'' (2022), was reported to have written the script. Following the release of '' Rudhran'' in early 2023, Lawrence confirmed that he would be appearing in a film to be directed by Kumar and produced and written by Lokesh. On 14 April 2024, coinciding with the occasion of Tamil New Year, Lokesh officially announced his second production after ''Fight Club'' (2023) under his G Squad banner, which co-produced it with Sudhan Sundaram and Jagadish Palanisamy under Passion Studios and The Route banners respectively. The film was titled ''Benz'' with Lawrence in the lead role. It was revealed to be co-written and directed by

, and Lokesh was credited as the story writer, though he also contributed to the screenplay. Editor Philomin Raj, cinematographer Goutham George, art director Jacki and publicity designer Amudhan Priyan were revealed as part of the technical crew.

began on 12 May 2025 in

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

, and

was announced as the lead actress the next day. On 4 June 2025, through a promo video,

was announced to be part of the cast, appearing in dual roles with one of the roles named Walter, the main antagonist. The first schedule was completed on 10 June 2025.

Music

The music is composed by Sai Abhyankkar, previously an independent musician. It was the first feature film he signed. The audio rights were purchased by

Think Music India Think Music is an Indian music label headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu that specialises in South Indian film soundtracks. Overview Think Music India was started in 2007 and sold its first 46 titles including ''Vel'' (2007) and ''Paiyaa ...

. "Benz In The Universe Theme" was released on 5 November 2024. In March 2025, Abhyankar revealed that 7 or 8 songs were being planned for the film, with one already complete.

Marketing

On 29 October 2024, coinciding with Lawrence's birthday, Lokesh released a glimpse-video confirming ''Benz'' as the latest addition to his

(LCU) after ''Kaithi'' (2019), ''Vikram'' and ''Leo''. The glimpse-video featuring Lokesh welcoming Lawrence to the LCU followed by the actor playing a chef holding a gun in one hand with blood stains all over his white dress was released.

Release

The post-theatrical streaming rights have been purchased by

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

References

External links

* {{Lokesh Cinematic Universe Films directed by Bakkiyaraj Kannan Films scored by Sai Abhyankkar Films shot in Chennai Indian action thriller films Tamil-language action thriller films Tamil-language Indian films Upcoming films Upcoming Tamil-language films