Shankar and Ranveer Singh to join hands for the ‘biggest pan-Indian film’ in recent times? Here’s what we know

S Shankar had sent fans into a tizzy last year when he announced that he was teaming up with Ranveer Singh for the official adaptation of the former’s hit 2005 film, Anniyan, which starred Vikram. However, much to the disappointment of fans, things did not seem to work out and the project did not happen. But fret not, as Shankar seems to have something special planned for cinephiles. It was reported that the director was planning to helm one of the ‘biggest pan-Indian films’ of the country, with Ranveer on board.

According to a report in Pinkvilla, Shankar’s next directorial will be an adaptation of the Tamil epic Velpari, which he plans to mount on a massive scale with Ranveer in the lead role. The report stated that the ‘wholesome’ nature of the novel, with its larger than life hero, pertinent life lessons and moving love story , were what attracted Shankar to the project.

The film is touted to be a ‘grand cinematic adaptation’ of the novel, which is intended to be made into a three part epic, in multiple languages. A source told the portal that the story was so complex and vast that everything could not be covered in a single movie. Shankar has reportedly already thought of a screenplay that will cover a trilogy of films.

The director was planning to start filming for the first part of the film sometime next year. The source added that the upcoming film would be the biggest project in both Shankar and Ranveer’s careers.

Shankar is currently working on Indian 2 with Kamal Haasan and a yet to be titled project with Ram Charan. He would start working on the Velpari adaptation after the release of the two films.

Ranveer was last seen in Jayeshbhai Jordaar. His upcoming films include Rohit Shetty’s Cirkus and Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani.