Chennai, February 19 – If the rumors circulating in the industry are to be believed, the acclaimed director Shankar has apparently approached Tamil star Dhanush for one of the key roles in his ambitious project, 'Velpari'.
For those unfamiliar, Shankar's ambitious project, 'Velpari', is a dual-hero film.
Sources in the industry claim that the acclaimed director inquired about Dhanush's availability for the project.
Interestingly, they also point out that Shankar participated in the pooja ceremony for Dhanush's upcoming film, tentatively titled D55. Furthermore, sources claim that R Take Studios, one of the two production companies producing D55, is also in talks with Shankar to produce his dream project.
However, there has been no official confirmation regarding this.
It may be recalled that the director had earlier considered casting Tamil star Vikram and Bollywood star Ranveer Singh in the lead roles.
It is a well-known fact that Shankar has long considered 'Velpari' to be his dream project. The film is based on the book 'Veera Yuga Nayagan Vel Pari', a historical novel written by renowned Tamil writer Su Venkatesan.
For those unfamiliar, Velpari was a legendary Tamil king known for his courage, administration, generosity, and kindness.
The popular phrase 'Mullaikku Theru Koduthaan Pari', which is widely used in Tamil Nadu even today, is actually a part of poetry praising Pari, who is known to have offered his own chariot to save a jasmine shrub from wilting and withering.
Pari is one of the seven last philanthropists about whom there is extensive Tamil literature.
It may be recalled that Shankar, while speaking about 'Velpari', had revealed that he wanted to read 'Veera Yuga Nayagan Vel Pari' during the lockdown imposed due to Covid. However, Shankar said that he could not find even a single copy of the book. Eventually, the acclaimed director disclosed that director Vasanthabalan contacted writer Su Venkatesan himself for a copy of the book. "Writer Su Venkatesan gave his personal copy to me to read," Shankar had disclosed at the event, and went on to speak at length about how he was awestruck by the richness of the novel and the amount of information it provided about a king who ruled 2000 years ago.