First look of Pa Ranjith's Salpetta to be released this week 

The first look of Pa Ranjith’s upcoming Tamil boxing drama Salpetta, set in the 1990s in North Chennai, will be unveiled this week, reliable sources have confirmed. The film sees Arya play a boxer from a backward community, and the actor has undergone an unbelievable transformation for the role.

A source from the film’s unit has said that the first look will be released on December 2. This film will shine a light on the boxing clubs of North Chennai.

Recently, there were rumours that Salpetta could be the remake of Anurag Kashyap’s Mukkabaaz (2018), which was about caste politics and boxing. However, the source clarified that the script is original.

"It will be a very realistic tale,” the source said.   

Over the past 12 months, Arya has been beefing up to get into character. Not long ago, he teased fans with his workout routine for the project on Twitter. In a video, he made doing a 150-kg squat look like a cakewalk.

Ranjith had originally planned this movie with Suriya. For reasons unknown, the plan didn’t materialize and Ranjith went ahead and roped in Arya, who has set high standards in the industry with his approach to fitness.

The film marks Ranjith's return to the setting of North Chennai after two projects with actor Rajinikanth. He had previously made Madras (2014), which starred Karthi, a film that delved into the local politics and rowdyism of the region.