Disha Patani reportedly replaces Shruti Haasan in Sanghamitra; official confirmation likely soon

Actress Disha Patani, best known for playing one of the lead heroines in Sushant Singh Rajput’s hit biopic drama MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, has reportedly been signed to play the titular role in Tamil director Sundar C’s fantasy epic ‘Sangamithra’. [caption id=“attachment_3309072” align=“alignleft” width=“379”]  File image of Disha Patani[/caption] “Disha Patani was finalized by the team almost a month back. Since the pre-production of the film, which includes extensive concept art designing and wide-ranging costume selection to match the eighth century backdrop, is consuming a lot of time, the makers have maintained a stoic silence about signing her,” informs a source privy to the development. “Thenandal is currently gearing up for the release of their 100th production _Mersal,_ starring Vijay , for Diwali next month and they don’t want Sangamithra to hog the limelight now. Also, Sundar C is directing a small-budget comedy _Kalakalappu 2_ as his immediate next project. Hence, the team has decided to make the official announcement on Sangamithra sometime in November or December,” the source adds. Featuring Arya and Jayam Ravi as the protagonists, the film revolves around the trials and tribulations of Sangamithra and her meticulous efforts to protect her kingdom. The project will reportedly mark Disha Patani’s debut in the Tamil film industry. It must be noted that she forayed into the tinsel town through Telugu film Loafer, directed by Puri Jagannadh. Earlier, Shruti Haasan walked out of the project stating that she did not receive “a full bound script and a proper date calendar.’” Producer Hema Rukmani of Thenandal Studios later issued a statement and said, “Shruti Haasan didn’t opt out. We decided that we could not work together effectively.” Sangamithra team made a splash at the Cannes Film Festival this year and showcased the project at the Cannes Film Market. “We’ve received a lot of queries from Chinese and other distributors. Everyone has shown a lot of interest in the film,” Hema Rukmani had said at the sidelines of Cannes. [caption id=“attachment_4076059” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Sanghamitra poster. Twitter@ThanandalFilms[/caption] On Sunday morning, Khusbhu Sundar has also confirmed that Sangamithra will go on floors from December, 2017 after Sundar C completes work on Kalakalappu 2, a sequel to his super-hit comedy Kalakalappu. Starring Jai, Jiiva, Catherine Tresa and Nikki Galrani as leads, Kalakalappu 2 has music composed by Hiphop Tamizha.