SS Rajamouli has confirmed that his next film will be led by Mahesh Babu. This movie will be an African jungle adventure, similar to Indiana Jones, with Mahesh taking on a challenging mission. His character will have traits of Lord Hanuman, as elements of the Ramayana are integrated into the script by SS Rajamouli and his writer father.
Sources close to the project have revealed that Malayalam actor Prithviraj Sukumaran has been finalized as the antagonist.
SS Rajamouli has been in discussions with Prithviraj for a while, and they have now signed the contract. Prithviraj will face off against Mahesh Babu in this hugely anticipated collaboration.
The antagonist role for Prithviraj is unique and well-written, with its own character arc and backstory. Prithviraj is excited about his first collaboration with both SS Rajamouli and Mahesh Babu.
While Prithviraj is a phenomenal actor, he has frequently been cast as a villain recently. In Salaar, he played the grey character Varadaraj Mannar effectively, but his portrayal of an evil scientist was extremely bad in Bade Miyan Chote Miyan.
Some fans believe that casting a big Bollywood star hero would have added more excitement and hype to the project. There were reports that Aamir Khan was approached previously. That casting would have added more buzz to the project than Prithviraj. Also, it would have created a better market for the film in Hindi belts.
The excitement factor to see Prithviraj as a villain will not be that much until people see his first-look poster or teaser.
SS Rajamouli has completed most of the writing and is now focused on casting and pre-production. The film will be produced by an international studio, with ongoing talks with Disney and Sony Pictures. Rajamouli aims to start filming in the last quarter of 2024 or early 2025.
