Well-known Telugu actor Gopichand has bagged a role in Rajinikanth’s upcoming Tamil film, Annaatthe. Gopichand will essay the role of the antagonist in the film playing the villain after 16 years. He was last seen playing a negative role in Telugu film Yagnam .

Even while an official announcement is awaited regarding signing Gopichand, sources from the film’s unit have confirmed the news. “Gopichand was recently signed and he will be seen playing the main villain.

The project, which will see Rajinikanth play a caring brother, marks his maiden collaboration with director Siva, best known for helming Veeram and Viswasam. Tipped to be a rural drama and being bankrolled by Sun Pictures, the film also stars Keerthy Suresh, Meena and Khushbhu in key roles. The film was officially launched last December in Chennai in a low-key affair. The film, which has music by D. Imman and produced by Sun Pictures, is already confirmed as Diwali 2020 release.

Rajinikanth was last seen on screen in Darbar, which has been directed by A.R Murugadoss. The film featured Rajinikanth in the role of an angry cop who sets out to avenge his daughter. It marked the return of Rajinikanth in the role of a cop after 25 years.

The film, which was dubbed and released in Telugu and Hindi, also starred Suniel Shetty as the prime antagonist. Actor Prateik Babbar, Nivetha Thomas and Yogi Babu played crucial roles. While Anirudh Ravichander had composed music, Santosh Sivan cranked the camera.