Putting speculations to rest, Varun Tej has confirmed that he was approached for the Telugu remake of Jigarthanda. He has, however, not given his nod for the project yet.
Reports emerged last month that the actor was approached to play a pivotal role in the remake of the 2014 Tamil gangster drama.
Confirming this news, he said in a CE report, “It’s true that the makers have approached me with an offer, but I haven’t officially signed on the dotted line yet. I’m really considering the offer because it’s a film I really liked. I should be taking a call very soon.”
He was reportedly approached to play Bobby Simha’s character from the original.
Directed by Karthik Subbaraj, Jiagarthanda was about an aspiring filmmaker (Siddharth) and his efforts to get close to a gangster (Bobby Simha) to make a film on his life. Simha’s role as the gangster Assault Sethu won him the National Award for the best supporting actor.
The Telugu remake will be directed by Harish Shankar, the director of the Alu Arjun movie DJ Duvvada Jagannadham. A source close to the film said in an Iflicks report, “Varun Tej is in talks to reprise the role of Bobby Simha in the film. It will go on floors from January. Other members from the cast will be announced soon,”
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Official confirmation about the film’s cast is yet to be made, but reports suggest that Naga Shaurya is likely to play the lead character in the movie. Naga Shaurya had two releases this year and was last seen in A.L. Vijay’s horror-thriller Diya. It was shot as a bilingual and released in Telugu as Kanam. He starred opposite Sai Pallavi in the film.
Raj Tarun is rumoured to be playing Karunakaran’s role from the original movie. Rashmika Mandanna, with whom Naga Shourya shared the screen in this year’s Chalo, is in talks to play the female lead. Lakshmi Menon had played the female lead in the original.
Jigarthanda became a big success after its release in 2014. It was also remade in Kannada in 2016. The film was produced by actor Sudeep.