Acclaimed Tamil director Vetrimaaran has made two of his three previous films (Polladhavan, Aadukalam) with Dhanush in the lead role, and the two have also produced films together. Vetrimaaran’s latest film, Vadachennai, reunites him with the actor and producer. The gritty and yet stylish teaser, which was released on Saturday, indicates a saga of violence and retribution that spans several decades. Dhanush ages through the teaser, as do the other actors, including P Samuthirakani, Aishwarya Rajesh, Daniel Balaji, Pavan, Andrea Jeremiah and Ameer.

Set in the North Chennai neighbourhood, the film explores the life of Dhanush’s carrom player, who gets embroiled in a turf war that leaves many corpses in its wake. The movie, described as Vetrimaaran’s most ambitious effort yet, has been produced by Dhanush’s banner Wunderbar Studios and Lyca Productions. It has been in the making for several years, and will reportedly be a trilogy. The music is by Santhosh Narayanan. The movie is expected to be released in September.