Mersal is now all to become the first Tamil film to release in China. Directed by Atlee, the action thriller released in India in 2017, and had garnered a lot of positive response from the critics and audience. The story of the film revolves around a doctor and a magician who attempt to expose corruption and inefficiency at the heart of the Indian medical system. The film grossed more than Rs 200 crore from its worldwide theatrical collections.

China’s HGC entertainment has bagged the theatrical rights of Tamil superstar Vijay’s 2017 blockbuster Mersal. According to reports, the Chinese company has plans to dub the film in Mandarin and release it by the end of the year or early 2019.

The background score and soundtrack of the film were composed by Oscar and Grammy winner AR Rahman. With more than 45,000 screens, China is expected to become a leading international consumer of Indian films.

Since Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan’s Dangal became one of the 20 highest-grossing films of all time in China last year, there has been a massive demand for Indian films. The Chinese distributors seem to be vying for deals with films that promise to leave the audiences misty-eyed. Films like Secret Superstar, Baahubali: The Conclusion and Bajrangi Bhaijaan also clicked with Chinese audience recently.

HGC President’s Li Ying said, “We found the story of Mersal to be a particularly touching story.”

Mersal is Atlee’s second consecutive directorial outing with Vijay. Last year, the actor-director duo delivered a blockbuster titled Theri. Atlee is expected to join hands with Vijay for the third time in the row after Vijay completes his next film with director AR Murugadoss.