Rajinikanth’s Moideen Bhai swaggers into the frame to uphold the spirit of communal harmony and teach a lesson to a few “black sheep” who use the system for their own benefits in sports drama Lal Salaam’s official trailer, dropped by Sun TV on Monday.

Directed by Rajinikanth’s daughter Aishwarya, the sports drama is fraught with sensitive topics like communal riots and Hindu-Muslim divide as it goes on to showcase the struggles of a troubled cricketer. The movie marks Aishwarya’s return to the director’s chair after her last film Vai Raja Vai released eight years ago.

The two-minute-27-second-long trailer reveals Vishnu Vishal as the main protagonist who plays a Muslim character with a troubled past. Being an alcoholic, he often showcases violent behaviour and incites riots. However, after a priest tells him that he is a good person who has the potential to bring about prosperity to his village, Vishnu’s character resorts to cricket as his only chance of redemption. But he is not treated fairly due to the rising communal tension in the village which starts to interfere with his cricket career.

When things seem bleak, enters Rajinikanth in an extended cameo role as Moideen Bhai to proclaim that his trust in the justice system is affected by a few “black sheep” who use the system for their own personal gain. Sporting a light brown bandhgala jacket and a karakul hat, Moideen strives to keep several religious communities at peace.

Along with Rajinikanth, former Indian cricketer Kapil Dev plays a cameo in Lal Salaam as an inspirational figure. The music for the film is scored by A.R. Rahman, who had earlier heaped praise on Rajinikanth and Aishwarya at the audio launch on January 26.

Lal Salaam was originally slated to release during Pongal this year and will now arrive in theatres on February 9.

Produced by Lyca Productions, known for backing movies like the Ponniyin Selvan film series and Chandramukhi 2, Lal Salaam also stars Vikranth, Senthil, Jeevitha, Thambi Ramaiah, Ananthika Sanilkumar, Vivek Prasanna and Thangadurai.

“The Pulsating LAL SALAAM trailer is OUT NOW! A glimpse into a gripping tale that awaits ,” Lyca Productions wrote on X alongside a poster of the film, which shows Rajinikanth, Vishnu and Vikranth donning cricket uniforms.