The Telugu remake of Malayalam blockbuster Lucifer will star Chiranjeevi in the titular role originally played by Mohanlal. The latest update is that Sujeeth has opted out of the project due to creative differences and Chiranjeevi has handed over the reins to VV Vinayak, who had recently directed Chiranjeevi in his comeback Telugu film, Khaidi No 150. As per a Cinema Express report, “Vinayak met Chiru in Bengaluru and the director is more than excited to take up this assignment. The duo has mutually agreed to not make any changes and go ahead with a near beat-for-beat recreation of the original,” a source was quoted as saying.
Chiranjeevi will begin working on the project as soon as he completes shooting for Koratala Siva’s upcoming Telugu action-drama Acharya. In September last year, speaking at the pre-release event of Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy in Kerala, Prithviraj revealed that Chiranjeevi has acquired the Telugu rights of his film Lucifer. Reports have also emerged that Ram Charan will play a crucial role in the yet-untitled remake. He may reprise the role originally played by Tovino Thomas or Prithviraj Sukumaran, who had directed Lucifer.
It was confirmed a few months ago that Sujeeth, who rose to fame with Prabhas starrer Saaho, has been signed to helm the remake. Chiranjeevi had confirmed in an interview to Deccan Chronicle that he even gave Sujeeth a go-ahead to begin working on the remake. “Yes, I asked Sujeeth to work on this Telugu remake script. But the industry shut down because of the coronavirus at that point,” Chiranjeevi said.
Meanwhile, Chiranjeevi will soon resume work on Acharya, in which he’s rumoured to be playing dual roles. The movie will be about a middle-aged Naxalite-turned-social reformer who launches a fight against the Endowments Department over misappropriation and embezzlement of temple funds and donations. Acharya may feature Ram Charan or Mahesh Babu in a crucial extended cameo appearance. The makers are yet to make an official announcement. Originally, Trisha was signed as the leading lady in Acharya. However, she recently opted out of the project due to creative differences. The makers are yet to find her replacement; however, reliable sources have confirmed that Kajal Aggarwal has been brought on board.
On the other hand, It was announced late last year that director VV Vinayak will be playing the title role in the upcoming film Seenayya, which is directed by N Narasimha Rao and produced by Dil Raju under his banner Sri Venkateswara Creations. It was reported that Seenayya will be about the auto mechanic Seenayya going on a rampage to punish sex offenders, with Sangeetha roped in to play his wife. If the industry sources are anything to go by, Vinayak was not happy over the outcome after seeing the rushes of the film and urged producer Dil Raju to shelve it. Meanwhile, director VV Vinayak is also set to collaborate with veteran actor Venkatesh for an upcoming film. Nallamalapu Bujji will bankroll this film under his banner Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Productions.
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