Nivin Pauly, Premam, Richie, Richie poster

Mollywood's young star Nivin Pauly, who has impressed the Tamil audience with his performances in Neram and especially Premam, is all set for the release of his first direct Kollywood project. Titled Richie, the directorial venture of Gautham Ramachandran, is sure to help Nivin shed his lover boy image we have seen so far. The first-look poster of the film shows the aggressive side of the actor.

Read more: Nivin as Richie

Is Richie a local rowdy? The poster hints so, and the character is not a secret anymore as the movie is the adaptation of Kannada hit Ulidavaru Kandante, directed, scripted and acted by Rakshit Shetty. "Ending the wait...Presenting the first look poster of Richie, my first straight Tamil Film....Further updates, very soon. :) [sic]," Nivin wrote, while sharing the poster of Richie on his Facebook page.

"Immensely proud,happy,excited and a gazillion other words..Fingers are trembling for the first time as I type something...Presenting the First Look Poster of my pet project, RICHIE...Nivin Pauly...You are the man!!! Our first Tamil Film is here...Other details soon...My Supportive Team!!! Wouldnt have been possible without them [sic]," director Gautham shared his excitement via his social media page.

Like the Kannada version, Richie also has two characters in main roles, one played by Nivin and other by cinematographer Natarajan Subramanian. Kannada actress Shraddha Srinath of U-Turn-fame plays opposite Nivin's character as a journalist, and the movie will be narrated in the backdrop of a small fishing town in Manapad, Thoothukudi. The upcoming film has an ensemble cast including, Prakash Raj, Lakshmi Priyaa Chandramouli, Elango Kumaravel, Naveen Kunjumon and GK Reddy playing pivotal roles.

Though the makers haven't revealed the release date of Richie, the Nivin-starrer has been scheduled as a Summer release in 2017.

Check out English and Tamil posters of Richie:

Watch the trailer of Ulidavaru Kandante here: