Arjun Reddy star Vijay Devarakonda to make Tamil debut with Iru Mugan director Anand Shankar

Vijay Devarakonda made a splash with _Arjun Reddy_ , a modern-day take on Devdas, which impressed the critics and audiences alike. The actor has been in demand since the film’s release and filmmakers are now forming beeline to sign him. However, Vijay has been cautious about his next move and as a result has become very choosy.

[caption id=“attachment_4272489” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Vijay Devarakonda (left) and Anand Shankar (right). Images via Facebook[/caption]

With two Telugu projects currently in his kitty, Vijay has signed his maiden Tamil outing. The film will see him join hands with Anand Shankar, the young director popular for films such as Arima Nambi and _Iru Mugan_ . To be bankrolled by Studio Green, the yet-untitled project is slated to go on the floors soon.

In an exclusive chat with Firstpost, Anand revealed details about the project. It’s been over a year since the release of Iru Mugan, and Anand has worked on multiple scripts in this interim. “Instead of taking long gaps between each project, I decided to work on two-three solid scripts and keep myself ready. Producer Gnanavel Raja and I and have been discussing the possibility of working together for a long time. After multiple meetings, I pitched one of the scripts which he really liked it and wanted to take it to Vijay Devarakonda. I was excited about the idea because I’ve been planning to take baby steps towards Telugu industry and this offer couldn’t have come at a better time,” explains the young director.

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Anand is thrilled to collaborate with Vijay, who has become the cynosure of all eyes since the runaway success of Arjun Reddy. “When a meeting was set up with Vijay, we were told he’s become very choosy. But he’s a very smart guy who knows what he’s talking about. It’s going to be a very interesting film. Both of us will get to do something we haven’t done so far in our careers.”

In a recent interview with greatandhra.com, Vijay revealed he plays a virgin in one of his next films. Prod Anand if he was talking about his project and pat came the reply: “This is not a rom-com. This will be an intense drama. We’re currently allocating dates for the shoot and once done we will make an official announcement.”

The rest of the cast and crew are yet to be finalised. The film will be simultaneously shot in Tamil and Telugu. With this project, Vijay will join the growing list of crossover stars who are making their presence felt in other industries. A few weeks ago, Nivin Pauly made his Tamil debut with _Richie_ . This week, Fahadh Faasil made his Tamil debut with _Velaikkaran_ . Dulquer Salmaan is making his Telugu debut with the Savitri biopic _Mahanati_ , which also stars Vijay Devarakonda in a crucial role.