Ajith's 'Mankatha' to return to theaters on January 23
What's the story
Sun Pictures has officially announced the re-release of the 2011 blockbuster Mankatha, starring Ajith Kumar and Arjun Sarja. The film will hit theaters again on January 23. In a recent social media post, Sun Pictures shared a new teaser for the film with the caption: "Mankatha daa! The Kingmaker is back to meet you all," referring to Kumar's character in the movie.
Twitter Post
Take a look at the teaser here
Mankatha daa!🔥 The Kingmaker is back to meet you all ♠️ #Mankatha Re-releasing from January 23 in theatres near you!💰#AjithKumar@vp_offl@thisisysr@akarjunofficial@trishtrashers@actor_vaibhav@Premgiamaren@AshwinKakumanu@MahatOfficial@andrea_jeremiah@iamlakshmirai… pic.twitter.com/duMk855DrH
— Sun Pictures (@sunpictures) January 4, 2026
Film synopsis
'Mankatha' plot and cast details
The film revolves around a suspended police officer who joins a group of robbers to help them steal a huge sum of money from cricket betting. However, things take a turn when some members betray the rest during the distribution of the loot. Apart from Kumar and Sarja, Mankatha also stars Trisha, Vaibhav Reddy, Jayaprakash, Andrea Jeremiah, Lakshmi Rai, and Mahat Raghavendra in pivotal roles.
Career milestone
'Mankatha' marked a turning point in Kumar's career
Mankatha was a significant film for Kumar as it marked his return to a gray-shaded role after Billa in 2007. The film is also one of the highest-grossing films of his career. Director Venkat Prabhu had previously stated that Kumar showed faith in him despite his lack of experience directing a film led by a big star.
Sequel hopes
Prabhu's wish for 'Mankatha' sequel and Kumar's tribute
Prabhu has expressed his desire to make a sequel to Mankatha, provided he gets Kumar's dates. In the past, the filmmaker also said that he approached the movie purely as a fan of Kumar. The film is also remembered for its theme music by Yuvan Shankar Raja, which plays as part of the superstar's tribute montage ahead of his subsequent films. The movie is streaming on JioHotstar.