In what can be best described as a totally unexpected development, director JJ Fredrick of Ponmagal Vandhal fame has been roped in to direct the yet-untitled Tamil remake of Andhadhun, starring Prashanth. The makers made the announcement via a statement but didn't explain why Mohan Raja is no longer associated with the project. A few months ago, it was announced that Mohan Raja will helm the project and producer Thiagarajan had said he's thrilled to join hands with such an exciting filmmaker.
Apparently, Mohan Raja has signed a new project with Ram Charan which he hopes to start and complete before Thani Oruvan 2. Therefore, it is being speculated that he must have opted out of Andhadhun remake to focus on his Telugu commitment.
While Prashant will play the lead, the rest of the cast and crew will be finalised soon. Thiyagarajan recently said Prashant will be perfect for the role because he’s a pianist in real life as well. “Prashanth has passed grade 4 in piano at the Trinity College of London. We have a grand piano in our home, and he plays on it almost daily. This role is going to be a cakewalk for him,” he said.
Thiyagarajan has also confirmed that talks have been initiated with Tabu to make her essay her own role from the original. Some recent rumours indicated that Ramya Krishnan has also been approached after Tabu turned down the offer to star in the remake.
In a recent interview to Times of India, Thiyagarajan said many production houses vied to acquire the remake rights of Andhadhun. “Almost every production house and star in our industry was trying to get the remake rights for this film. But I’ve been in talks with the Bollywood production house since its release because the script is a powerful one. Every time a star expressed interest, the rate shot up, but in the end, since I’ve a good rapport with the production house, having bought their Special 26 rights, I managed to get the rights for this film as well,” he said.
At one point, Dhanush was interested in acquiring the Tamil remake rights of Andhadhun. While promoting his Hollywood film The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakhir, he had expressed his interest to star in the Tamil remake of Andhadhun.
Meanwhile, Andhadhun is all set to be remade in Telugu as well. The remake will be directed by Merlapaka Gandhi and will star Nithiin in the lead. As per recent reports, the Telugu remake rights of Andhadhun have been acquired for Rs 3.5 crore by Nithiin’s home banner Shresth Movies, which is managed by his father. Tamannaah Bhatia and Nabha Natesh have been roped in for the Telugu remake. While Tamannaah would reprise Tabu's role, Radhika Apte's role will be portrayed by Nabha Natesh.
(Content provided by Digital Native)