Following in the footsteps of Harbhajan Singh, former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina is all set to make his acting debut, playing the lead in a Tamil film. The film, which will be based on cricket, was launched on Friday evening in Chennai.Responding to a query at the event on why he has chosen to debut with a Tamil even though he's been receiving a few offers in Bollywood, Raina, who is currently with his family in Amsterdam, shared over video call, "When the director narrated the story, it felt very close to me. It is a cricket movie set in Tamil Nadu and since I have played a lot of matches for Chennai over the years, and the fans have a lot of love and affection for me, I thought, why not start with something from Chennai.

"Raina, called Chinna Thala by fans of the Chennai IPL team, is likely to begin shooting for the project from October 2025, and the team is likely to film a few key sequences at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The film, to be helmed by debutant filmmaker Logan, will have Academy Award winner Resul Pookutty handling the sound design and Santhosh Narayanan, who was recently part of Salman Khan's Sikandar, composing the music.

It is a cricket movie set in Tamil Nadu and since I have played a lot of matches for Chennai over the years, and the fans have a lot of love and affection for me, I thought, why not start with something from Chennai— Suresh Raina on making his debut in TamilSuresh Raina is quite fond of Tamil cinema. He admires Suriya, often listens to the song Munbe Vaa, and Kamal sir’s Vikram is one of his favourite films— Logan, director of the film