Mani Ratnam has officially announced that the title of his next project would be "Kadal". This announcement from the ace filmmaker has put to rest a big guessing game that has been taking place in Kollywood for quite some time now.

Yesteryear hero Karthik's son Gautham would play the protagonist of this film. Samantha of "Bana Kathadi" fame would be the lead actress. Arjun, Pasupathy, Thambi Ramaiah and Lakshmi Manchu would play pivotal roles, sources say.

'The film is about the plight of Tamil Nadu fishermen in the mid sea. The sufferings they face in the form of Sri Lankan Navy and other things would be highlighted in this movie, in the backdrop of an interesting love story,' add sources.

A R Rahman has already recorded one song and works are on to compose other songs. 'Shooting for Kadal will start before the end of this month. Mani Ratnam would shoot some scenes in the middle of the sea, after obtaining special permission from the authorities concerned,' sources conclude.