Megastar Chiranjeevi, who was last seen on screen in the Telugu period epic Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy, is currently shooting for his next film Acharya. It has been reported that the actor will star in the Telugu remake of Malayalam blockbuster Lucifer, and director Mohan Raja has been roped in to helm the remake. The latest update is that Chiranjeevi will shoot for the film from January 20, according to an India Today report. The project will be jointly produced by NV Prasad and Konidela Production Company.
A few days ago, director Mohan Raja had shared a picture with Chiranjeevi and announced that he will be directing the film. Mohan Raja wrote, "With the blessings of my parents and well wishers, life has always gifted me better and bigger things. And this time I’m more elated n honored to direct a mega project with the Megastar @KChiruTweets himself Need all your wishes n prayers Folded hands #MegaStar153 (sic)."
With the blessings of my parents and well wishers, life has always gifted me better and bigger things.
— Mohan Raja (@jayam_mohanraja) December 16, 2020
And this time I’m more elated n honored to direct a mega project with the Megastar @KChiruTweets himself
Need all your wishes n prayers #MegaStar153 pic.twitter.com/eJ05j2ia7v
It may be noted here that earlier, it was reported that Chiranjeevi had put the purported Lucifer remake on the backburner because he wasn’t too happy with the changes that were made to the script to suit Telugu sensibilities. The first choice to helm the remake was Sujeeth, who rose to fame with Prabhas starrer Saaho. Later, it was reported that Sujeeth had opted out of the project due to creative differences, and that Chiranjeevi had handed over the reins to VV Vinayak. But finally, the project went into the hands of Mohan Raja.
Lucifer, a political thriller, starred Mohanlal, who played a character called Stephen Nedumpally. Produced by Antony Perumbavoor, the film also starred Vivek Oberoi, Tovino Thomas, Indrajith Sukumaran and Manju Warrier in crucial roles.
Meanwhile, Chiranjeevi is working on Acharya. Koratala Siva is directing the film, which is expected to hit the screens later this year. Acharya, as per reports, will be about a middle-aged Naxalite-turned-social reformer who launches a fight against the government over misappropriation and embezzlement of funds. The film marks the first collaboration of Chiranjeevi and Koratala Siva, who is best known for helming films such as Mirchi, Srimanthudu, Bharat Ane Nenu and Janatha Garage.
Acharya was originally supposed to mark Trisha’s return to Telugu films after many years. However, she opted out of the project reportedly due to creative differences. Kajal Aggarwal was roped in as a replacement for Trisha.
Chiranjeevi also has the Telugu remake of the 2015 film Vedalam lined up. Reports suggest that Meher Ramesh is likely to direct the Vedalam remake. Anil Sunkara’s AK Entertainments will bankroll the film. It is worth mentioning that the remake was initially planned to be made with Pawan Kalyan a couple of years ago. Eventually, Pawan Kalyan went on to star in the Telugu remake of Ajith’s Veeram. Sai Pallavi is most likely to be roped in to play Chiranjeevi’s sister in the Vedalam remake.
(Content provided by Digital Native)