Thala 55
A still from the location of the upcoming Ajith-Gautham Menon film.Gautham Menon Twitter official page

There have been a lot of speculations surrounding Ajith's "Thala 55" release date even before its shooting is completed. The latest buzz is that the Ajith-Gautham Menon film might release for Pongal 2015.

Gautham is currently shooting the flashback portions of the film in which Ajith will apparently sport a younger look. Most portions of the film have been shot in Chennai so far and the rest in Hyderabad and Malaysia. "Thala 55" team will continue shooting again in Chennai from Thursday (14 August), reported Behindwoods.

If the team is able to finish the shooting quickly, then they might release the film this year. If it does not work according to their plans, then the Ajith starrer might hit the screens for Pongal 2015, the website stated.

Two Tamil biggies, including Vishal's tentatively titled "Aambala" and Vikram's "Patthu Endradhukulla" are also eyeing Pongal 2015 release. If "Thala 55" joins the race, there will be a huge clash to grab enough number of screens.

"Thala 55" is one of the eagerly-awaited films as it marks the first-time association of Ajith and Gautham. The film, touted to be an action thriller, will have music by Harris Jayaraj, who has teamed up with the director after "Vaaranam Aayiram" (2008).

Expectations are high for "Thala 55" album as Harris-Gautham's film songs have always been a big hit. There will be six songs in the upcoming film, and the composer will soon start recording with the background score in his new Dolby Atmos studio.

"My new studio is getting ready for the launch by the grace of the LORD.... AMEN," Harris posted on his Facebook page.

"Will start the recording with the Background score of Gautham's and Ajith film in this new Studio on Dolby Atmos," he said.

The film's title launch and the first look are expected to be released in the second half of August. However, there is no official confirmation regarding this.

"Thala 55" has Anushka Shetty and Trisha Krishnan as the female leads. The film also has Arun Vijay, Vivek, Thalaivasal Vijay, Rajasimman of "Kuttipuli" fame, baby Anikha, Malayalam actress Devi Ajith in pivotal roles. The film is produced by A. M. Ratnam and the cinematography is handled by Dan Macarthur.