CHENNAI: If rumours doing the rounds in the industry are to be believed, ace director Shankar has apparently approached Tamil star Dhanush for one of the pivotal roles in his dream project, 'Velpari'.
For the unaware, Shankar's dream project 'Velpari' is a a dual hero subject. Sources in the industry claim that the ace director made enquiries about Dhanush's date availability for the project. Interestingly, they also point out that Shankar had participated in the pooja function of Dhanush's upcoming film, being tentatively titled D55. Moreover, sources claim that R Take Studios, one of the two production companies producing D55, is also in talks with Shankar for producing his dream project.
However, there has been no official confirmation in this regard so far. It may be recalled that the director had earlier been mulling on the possibility of casting Tamil star Vikram and Bollywood star Ranveer Singh in the lead. It is a well established fact that Shankar has for long maintained 'Velpari' to be his dream project. The film is to be based on the book 'Veera Yuga Nayagan Vel Pari', a historical novel penned by well known Tamil writer Su Venkatesan.
For the unaware, Velpari is a legendary Tamil king known as much for his courage and administration as he was known for his generosity and kindness. The popular phrase 'Mullaikku Theru Koduthaan Pari', which is widely in use in Tamil Nadu even to this day, is actually a part of poetry sung in praise of Pari, who is known to have offered his own chariot to save a jasmine shrub from wilting and withering. Pari is one of the seven last philanthropists about whom there is extensive Tamil literature. It may be recalled that Shankar, while delivering a speech on Velpari, had disclosed that he had wanted to read 'Veera Yuga Nayagan Vel Pari' during the lockdown imposed due to Covid.
However, Shankar said that he could not find even a single copy of the book. Eventually, the ace director disclosed that director Vasanthabalan got in touch with writer Su Venkatesan himself for a copy of the book. "Writer Su Venkatesan gave his personal copy to me to read," Shankar had disclosed at the event, and had gone on to speak at length about how he was awestruck by the richness of the novel and the amount of information it provided about a king who ruled 2000 years ago.