Kathakali is a 2016 Tamil action-thriller film directed by Pandiraj, starring Vishal and Catherine Tresa in the lead roles.[2] Co-produced by both Pandiraj and Vishal, Kathakali released on 14 January 2016. The Telugu dubbed version with the same title was released on 18 March 2016.

Cast :

Vishal as Amudhavel Rajarathnam.
Catherine Tresa as Meenu Kutty.
Madhusudhan Rao as Lakshmibathy aka Tambha (dubbed by Samuthirakani)
Poster Nandakumar as Ex-MLA.
Mime Gopi as Gnanavel Rajarathnam.
Karunas as Karpooram.
Lakshmi Ramakrishnan as Thamba’s Wife.
Sreejith Ravi as Cuddalore Inspector Saravana Vadivel.
Pawan as Sambantham.

Production :

Vishal and Pandiraj announced that they would be collaborating for a film venture in May 2015, with the pair sharing production duties. An official statement announced that work would begin on the film after Pandiraj had finished work on two other ongoing ventures, Pasanga 2 and Idhu Namma Aalu. The first filming schedule began in July 2015, with Catherine Tresa joining the team as the lead heroine after talks with Keerthy Suresh were unsuccessful. The film’s title was revealed to be Kathakali in September 2015. Originally scheduled for a Diwali 2015 release, the film was postponed owing to Vishal’s commitments in the Nadigar Sangam elections.

Vishal revealed that the film was a whodunit thriller which happens over the course of one night, and that it was based on a real-life incident which had happened to Pandiraj’s friend. In regard to the film’s production, Pandiraj expressed his gratitude at working with Vishal and noted that the actor was willing to experiment away from his usual on-screen image. Pandiraj also revealed that he decided to edit out the film’s comedy portions in order to ensure the film had a tight script.