Vijay Deverakonda's Tamil debut titled NOTA; first look poster released: Film also stars Mehreen Pirzada

Vijay Deverakonda, who shot to fame with Telugu projects such as Pellichoopulu and Arjun Reddy, is all set to test his luck in Tamil filmdom with his upcoming project NOTA, to be directed by Anand Shankar. The film’s title and first look poster was released on 8 March, Thursday. Going by the poster, in which Deverakonda flashes his inked finger, this could be a political thriller. In an exclusive chat with Firstpost, Anand opened up about the project. It’s been over a year since the release of Irumugan, and Anand has worked on multiple scripts in this interim. [caption id=“attachment_4382223” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  The poster for NOTA starring Vijay Deverakonda and Mehreen Pirzada.[/caption] “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 Deverakonda. 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," said Anand, confirming the project will be simultaneously shot in Telugu as well. [caption id=“attachment_4382219” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Vijay Deverakonda and Mehreen Pirzada/Image from Twitter.[/caption] Anand is thrilled to collaborate with Vijay, who has become the cynosure of all eyes since the runaway success of Arjun Reddy. Mehreen Pirzada has been roped in as the leading lady while the rest of cast will be finalised soon. “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.” Talking about the genre of the project, Anand said, “This is not a rom-com. This will be intense drama. We’re currently allocating dates for the shoot and once done we will make an official announcement.” The film has music by Sam CS and Baaghi 2 fame lensman Santhana Krishnan, son of Ravi K Chandran, will crank the camera. With this project, Deverakonda joins the recent list of actors who have crossed over to other industries. As he begins shooting for this project, he also awaits the release of his upcoming Telugu film Taxiwala. He’s also rumoured to have a project with filmmaker Mani Ratnam in his kitty.