Nayanthara may be cast opposite Sivakarthikeyan in director Rajesh's next, after Sai Pallavi opts out

Nayanthara, fondly called by her legions of fans as Lady Superstar, is in talks to play the lead heroine in Sivakarthikeyan’s upcoming yet-untitled film with director Rajesh. If she signs on the dotted line, it will mark the second collaboration of Nayanthara and Sivakarthikeyan after their successful previous outing  _ Velaikkaran ,_ directed by Mohan Raja, which released towards the fag end of 2017 and fetched rave reviews from audiences for its social message.

“Rajesh has already narrated the story to Nayanthara, and she has given her in-principle nod to the film. Now, she is working out her dates and if everything goes well as planned, she would be on board soon. Since Rajesh had earlier worked with Nayanthara in Arya’s Boss Engira Baskaran, both of them share a good rapport too. Earlier, the team was in talks with Sai Pallavi but she had to turn down the offer citing prior commitments,” a source privy to the development of the project told Firstpost. 

To be bankrolled by KE Gnanavel Raja’s Studio Green, this yet-to-be-named project is expected to go on floors after the Tamil Film Producers Council call off the month-long strike which is currently underway. Earlier, the film was supposed to be helmed by Thaanaa Serndha Koottam director Vignesh Shivan but he opted out of the project for reasons best known to the team. “After the strike, Sivakarthikeyan would immediately start shooting for his untitled sci-fi film with Indru Netru Naalai director Ravikumar. AR Rahman has already begun the composing work for the project. Rajesh’s film would commence a few weeks after Ravikumar’s project, and later Sivakarthikeyan would shuttle between both sets to wrap up,” the source added.

Nayanthara is currently busy shooting for Telugu magnum-opus  Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy , which is being directed by Dhruva helmer Surender Reddy and produced by Ram Charan’s Konidela Production Company. The film, which is billed as a historical period drama,  pitches Megastar Chiranjeevi in the role of legendary freedom fighter Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy. Amitabh Bachchan plays a pivotal role in the film, which also features Vijay Sethupathi, Jagapathi Babu, Sudeep, Praiga Jaiswal and Sudeep in the supporting cast.

Besides Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy, Nayanthara also has another big-ticket project in Ajith’s   Viswasam  directed by Siva and produced by Sathya Jyothi Films. The film, which marks the fourth collaboration of Ajith and Nayanthara after Billa, Aegan, and Arrambam, will start rolling in Hyderabad after the ongoing Kollywood impasse draws to a close.

Nayanthara is also presently awaiting the release of  Kolamaavu Kokila  which stars her in the lead role. The film, which is in the post-production phase, is directed by debutant Nelson Dilipkumar and produced by 2.0 makers Lyca Productions. Anirudh Ravichander has composed the music for the project, which is tipped to a dark comedy.

Emotional thriller  Imaikkaa Nodigal,  where Nayanthara plays the lead role alongside Atharvaa Murali, is also in the post-production stage. The film, which is directed by Ajay Gnanamuthu of _Demonte Colony-_fame and produced by Cameo Films India, marks the acting debut of filmmaker Anurag Kashyap in Tamil cinema.