Manju Warrier likely to pair up with Rajinikanth in his next film
Impressed with her performance in Dhanush starrer Asuran, Manju Warrier may be cast opposite Rajinikanth in his next, tentatively dubbed Thalaivar 168 and to be directed by Siva.
Actor Manju Warrier, who was recently seen opposite Dhanush in Asuran, is likely to team up with actor Rajinikanth in his next yet-untitled project with director Siva, according to sources. In Vetrimaaran directed Asuran, Manju played Dhanush’s wife and wife of three children. Her performance was well received by critics and audiences alike.
Impressed with her work in Asuran, it was Siva who convinced the makers to have Manju on board. Last week, Sun Pictures announced that it will bankroll the project and that it will be currently dubbed Thalaivar 168. The production house, which is joining hands with Rajinikanth after blockbusters hits Enthiran and Petta, had released a video to mark the announcement of the project.
Reports about Rajinikanth teaming up with Siva first emerged when the latter visited the actor at his residence in May. Siva was invited over to congratulate on the success of Ajith starrer Viswasam which Rajinikanth liked. “The speculations doing rounds regarding director Siva and Thalaivar meeting this morning are not true. The meeting was only to seek his blessing on the success of the former’s film Viswasam which released early this year,” Rajinikanth’s publicist had tweeted.
During the course of meeting, Rajinikanth appreciated Siva for making Viswasam and specially pointed out that he was touched by the father-daughter relationship angle in the film. Viswasam, which was the third film in the collaboration of Siva and Ajith, was centred on a father who leaves his violent past to make amends with his teenage daughter. The film, which also starred Nayanthara, emerged as a blockbuster at the box-office and grossed over Rs 100 crore. It is all set to be remade in Kannada with Shivrajkumar in the lead.
Meanwhile, Rajinikanth currently awaits the release of his next film Darbar, which has been directed by AR Murugadoss. The film, which also stars Nayanthara, sees the 68-year-old star return to playing a cop after 25 years.
The first look poster of Darbar was released not long ago. It featured the headshot of a happy Rajinikanth, who is surrounded by all things police. From a rifle to belt and police badge, the poster has already set the expectations very high.
The film, which will be dubbed and released in Telugu, also stars Suniel Shetty as the prime antagonist. Actor Prateik Babbar, Nayanthara, Nivetha Thomas and Yogi Babu play crucial roles. While Anirudh Ravichander has composed music, Santosh Sivan has cranked the camera.
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