On the occasion of Republic Day, January 26, 2026, A.R. Murugadoss revealed the second look of Aparshakti Khurana from the upcoming Tamil sci-fi crime thriller, "ROOT - Running Out of Time". This film, directed by S. Sooriyaprathap, features Gautham Ram Karthik in the lead role. The new poster offers a glimpse into Khurana's character, who is making his Tamil cinema debut with this film.

The poster reveals Aparshakti Khurana in a retro look, complete with a shawl and spectacles, possibly indicating that the story begins in the pre-independence era. The tagline, "This is where it begins," further hints at a period setting for the film's origin. The poster showcases a character with an unsettling and intimidating demeanor that perfectly complements the film's darker thematic elements and establishes the ominous tone audiences can expect from the narrative.

Aparshakti Khurana's role in "ROOT" is described as an "antihero" rather than a typical antagonist. Director Sooriyaprathap S. mentioned that Khurana's character is performance-oriented and conveys emotions even without many dialogues in the first half.

"ROOT - Running Out of Time" has been described as a sci-fi crime thriller. The film also stars Bhavya Trikha as the female lead, along with veteran actor Y Gee Mahendran, Pavni Reddy, Linga, and RJ Anandhi, among others. The first look poster of the film, featuring Gautham Ram Karthik, was revealed earlier in January by Superstar Rajinikanth. It depicted Karthik with his arms over a desk, with a sand clock in the background, symbolizing the theme of time running out.

The technical crew includes Arjun Raja for cinematography, John Abraham for editing, Vithushanan for music, Bhavna Govardan for production design, and Miracle Michael for action choreography.

Aparshakti Khurana completed dubbing for his role in December 2025. The film is produced by Dhanishtan Fernando, Rajarajan Gananasambandam, Sanjai Shankar, and Shaik Mujeeb under the Verus Productions banner. The film is currently in its post-production stage. "ROOT" is anticipated to be released in June 2026.

A.R. Murugadoss, who unveiled Aparshakti's second look, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer known for his action films, primarily in Tamil cinema. He made his directorial comeback in 2025 with two films – "Sikandar" with Salman Khan, and "Madharaasi" with Sivakarthikeyan.