Nivin Pauly To Play Villain In Lokesh Kanagaraj's Benz Opposite Raghava Lawrence?

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Lokesh Kanagaraj's cinematic universe is set to expand with "Benz," starring Raghava Lawrence. Speculation is rife that Malayalam star Nivin Pauly will play the villain.
Lokesh Kanagaraj's ever-growing cinematic universe (LCU) is gearing up for its next chapter with Benz, a high-octane action thriller starring Raghava Lawrence. The film has already caught fans' attention with its slick first-look posters. In the latest update, all eyes are now on the villain reveal. According to the ongoing buzz, it might be Malayalam star Nivin Pauly stepping into the dark side.
The makers, G Squad, teased the casting surprise on social media ahead of their June 4 announcement. Dropping a cheeky clue, they wrote, 'You are 'N'ot Ready for this. That's it. That's the clue. #BenzCastReveal Tomorrow."
While they stopped short of naming names, fans were quick to connect the dots, with many speculating that the 'N" points straight to Nivin Pauly. If confirmed, this would mark Nivin's first major role in the LCU and possibly his Tamil return in a powerful negative role, a genre shift that could shake things up in the universe built by Lokesh.
Though the makers have shared a shadowy glimpse of the mysterious antagonist, buzz is strong that Nivin Pauly is the man behind the menace. While nothing is official yet, multiple reports hint that he's set to take on the lead villain's role.
Raghava Lawrence is stepping into the spotlight for the upcoming action-packed Tamil film Benz. Directed by Remo fame Bakkiyaraj Kannan, the film is part of the ever-growing Lokesh Kanagaraj Cinematic Universe (LCU).
Though Lokesh isn't directing this time, he's still deeply involved, co-writing the script and co-producing it under his own banner. Benz marks the fourth film in the LCU, after Kaithi, Vikram, and Leo. What makes Benz stand out is that it's the first film in this universe not to be directed by Lokesh himself.
The female lead is played by Vaathi star Samyuktha, and there's another exciting debut on the cards — AA22 composer Sai Abhyankkar is making his big break as the music director for the film.
Meanwhile, Lokesh Kanagaraj is working on his next directorial project, Coolie, starring none other than Rajinikanth. Set to release on August 14, 2025, Coolie also features big names like Nagarjuna Akkineni, Upendra Rao, Shruti Haasan, Sathyaraj, and Soubin Shahir. Rumours are also swirling about a cameo from Aamir Khan.
On the other side, Malayalam star Nivin Pauly, who is rumoured to be playing the main villain in Benz, has wrapped up filming for Baby Girl. He also has films like Dolby Dineshan and Dear Students with Nayanthara coming up.
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