Ranveer Singh collaborates with Shankar for official remake of Tamil hit 'Anniyan'

Movie buffs have a reason to rejoice! Two forces of Indian cinema - iconic director Shankar and Bollywood superstar Ranveer Singh are coming together for the remake of the filmmaker's 2005 cult blockbuster 'Anniyan'.

This is anticipated to be one of the biggest director-actor collaborations in recent times. Shankar, known for his path-breaking, larger-than-life vision, and Ranveer, who has given India some of the most unforgettable and lovable characters on-screen, are coming together in an unprecedented creative coup.

Shankar will be directing Ranveer in the official adaptation of 'Anniyan', which will be mounted on a gigantic cinematic canvas, proving it to be one of the biggest pan-India projects.

The yet-untitled project is being interestingly announced around the auspicious time of Baisakhi in North India and Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, which marks the New Year celebrations in these respective calendars.

Expressing his excitement, Shankar said, "For it to be made into a Hindi film, Anniyan needed a maverick, charismatic showman like no other to play the part. I found this in the mercurial Ranveer Singh because he is a once-in-a-generation actor who has shown us that he can immortalise a character through his stellar performance."

"I'm thrilled to make Anniyan for the pan-Indian audience and I'm confident that this powerful story will strike a chord in the hearts of all. In Dr. Gada, Ranveer and I have found an ideal producer who believes in the vision we have to change the nativity of content for audiences across the country," he added.

Blessed to have this opportunity, Ranveer acknowledged Shankar for being a true disruptor who always brings exceptional ideas to the screen. He also disclosed that he had always hoped and dreamed of collaborating with the 57-year-old ace filmmaker.

"To lead a film like Anniyan is a dream come true for any artiste. Vikram Sir, one of our country's finest talents, an artiste who I hugely admire, gave a colossal performance in the original, one that can never be matched," Ranveer said of the upcoming project.

"I can only hope that my interpretation and rendition of the part also connects with audiences in the same way. It's undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime performance piece, and I am ready to give this role every single ounce of my being. Shankar Sir is a genius filmmaker and a true visionary. Words don't do justice to just how excited I am at the prospect of being directed by him," he added.

Bringing these creative giants together for the very first time will be veteran film producer Dr Jayantilal Gada, Chairman and M.D. of Pen Studios.

Speaking about the creative coup, he said, "It is an opportunity of a lifetime for us and we are thrilled to partner with the two powerhouses as producers and worldwide distributors of the film. We are confident that their collaboration will write a new chapter in the history of Indian cinema."

The remake of the action-psychological thriller is slated to go on the floors in mid-2022. It will be co-produced by God Bless Entertainment and the music of the film will be available on Saregama.

( With inputs from ANI )