Talks about director Atlee directing a Telugu film with a leading hero surfaced after all his three directorial – Raja Rani, Theri and Mersal – were dubbed and released in Telugu. All the three movies did well at the Tollywood box office following which there were reports of Atlee planning to direct a Telugu movie with a top star.
However, these reports have been put to rest by writer Ramana Giri Vasan. The writer, who had worked with Atlee in Theri and Mersal, has said that Atlee is currently is busy with his next, which will be a Tamil film.
According to the writer, it will be a complete family entertainer with mass hero elements. The hero has not been finalized yet, he added. Ramana Giri Vasan and Atlee have been associates for the past ten years and are completely in sync with each other, we hear.
According to sources, Atlee’s debut in the Telugu film industry may happen after he is done with the Tamil film which is in the scripting stage right now. Atlee has directed three films in his career till date. His debut as director was with Raja Rani, which had Arya, Nayanthara, Jai and Nazriya in the lead roles.
The film went on to become a huge hit and also won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Dialogue Writer. He then he came up with Theri, which had Vijay playing the lead role. This film won the SIIMA Awards For Best Director and the IIFA Utsavam Award for Best Director. The film raked in moolah at the ticket window in many overseas territories including North America, where the film is inching towards the $1 million mark; an incredible new feat for actor Vijay.
His last release, Mersal, which was out as a Diwali release in 2017, was a commercial success. Scripted by Baahubali writer Vijayendra Prasad and directed by Atlee starring Vijay in three roles, the film had Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Nithya Menen and Kajal Agarwal playing the female leads. Made on a budget of Rs 120 crores, it went on to collect Rs 251 crores at the box office.
(Content provided by Digital Native)