R Madhavan takes over directorial reigns of Rocketry: The Nambi Effect after Ananth Mahadevan's exit

R Madhavan has taken over the directorial reins of  _Rocketry: The Nambi Effect_  as National Award-winning filmmaker Ananth Mahadevan, who was co-directing the tri-lingual project, has opted out owing to “unavoidable circumstances” and “pressing commitments.” [caption id=“attachment_5477781” align=“alignnone” width=“1058”]  R Madhavan in a still from Rocketry: The Nambi Effect. YouTube[/caption] When the film was launched in November, Madhavan was announced as the co-director, marking his debut as a director. “Ananth Mahadevan is an extremely talented filmmaker. However, owing to unavoidable circumstances and certain pressing commitments he could no longer direct Rocketry: The Nambi Effect. This film is close to my heart for many reasons. It is shaping up well, and I can’t wait to tell the incredible story of Nambi Narayanan to the world,” says Madhavan, who essays the role of former senior Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientist in the film, in an official statement. Produced by Tricolour Films in association with Varghese Moolan Pictures and Saffron Ganesha Entertainment, Rocketry is being shot in Tamil, Hindi and English. Actor-director Mahadevan confirmed leaving the project to Firstpost. “Yes, it is true.” Asked about the reason for exiting the ambitious biopic, Ananth said, “Whatever Madhavan has said, that’s the only thing needs to be said. Nothing much. He has said it all.” Ananth said he is currently a Marathi film, which is on the verge of completion. “Right now, I’m busy with my other film. It’s a Marathi film, and we are almost done with the project. It’s based on a true incident which happened some six months ago. I can’t give you more details about the project,” he added. Talking about the origin of Rocketry in an earlier interview to Firstpost earlier, Ananth had said, “I heard about the ISRO spy case and how Mr Nambi Narayanan, who was charged with espionage, fought to prove his innocence. It was after that I met him in person in Trivandrum. When I met this gentleman, I learned the whole story behind his life. Unfortunately, it was the spy case that brought him to limelight whereas he should have been known for a much better reason.” _(Also read: Nambi Narayanan on his work at ISRO, the 'spy' case and battle to clear his name)_ To be extensively shot in India, Princeton, Scotland, France and Russia, Rocketry is slated for a summer 2019 release, as announced by the team earlier. Meanwhile, the grapevine in Kollywood is abuzz with reports that yesteryear actress Simran, who was recently seen in Superstar Rajinikanth-starrer _Petta_  directed by Karthik Subbaraj, has been approached to play a pivotal role in the film. Simran and Madhavan were last seen together in one of auteur Mani Ratnam’s most loved works, Kannathil Muthamittal, as husband and wife. An official announcement on Simran joining the cast is yet to be made.