'45', 'Karataka Damanaka' and 'Ghost 2' star Shiva Rajkumar adds Dinakar Thoogudeepa film to list

Shiva Rajkumar's fans are looking forward to the release of 'Captain Miller' but before that, they have been treated to another major announcement. The veteran actor has joined forces with noted Kannada filmmaker Dinakar Thoogudeepa for a commercial film which is set to get underway very soon.

This will be the maiden collaboration between the two with R. Keshav and B.S. Sudhindra producing the film under Bindya Movies banner. The makers have billed the project as a pure mass entertainer whose story has been written by Priyadarshini Rama Reddy. According to sources, the pre-production work is already underway and the team is currently finalizing the rest of the cast and crew. 

The title of the film is set to be revealed on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri, but the team has announced the untitled project through a concept poster.

Also Read: Can Shiva Rajkumar lead 'Captain Miller' past 'Salaar Ceasefire' in Karnataka? 

Is this the same Puneeth Rajkumar project?

Of course, many would remember that Dinakar Thoogudeepa was originally meant to work with Puneeth Rajkumar on a film, with Jayanna Films set to produce it. However, the actor's tragic passing in October 2021 caused the film to be back-burnered. The 'Jothe Jotheyali' and 'Navagraha' filmmaker would then go on to make 'Kiss' actor in an action thriller named 'Royal'.

However, a few reports now reckon that Dinakar's new film with Shiva Rajkumar could be the one initially meant for the late Powerstar. Of course, the original producers are not attached to the project but could it be that the director has reimagined the story with Shivanna as its lead? Well, let's just put this in the 'speculation' column for now.

An eventful 2024 awaits Shiva Rajkumar

The year 2023 would most definitely qualify as a special period in the career of Shiva Rajkumar. Having ended 2022 with the launch of home banner Geetha Pictures through 'Vedha', the actor made his grand debut in Tamil cinema in Nelson's 'Jailer', which stars Superstar Rajinikanth in the lead. His cameo role as Narasimha in the film would win many hearts among audiences, prompting filmmakers to approach him for a full-fledged role in a Tamil film.

Shiva Rajkumar would then star in M.G. Srinivas' heist-thriller 'Ghost' and win praise for his performance. The film, which is now set to be the first instalment of a bigger franchise, went on to be a commercial success.