Rajinikanth-Shankar Mega-Budget Project; Vikram in Kamal Haasan Out?

Things are fast happening for Rajinikanth and Shankar's next movie, which will be bankrolled by Lyca Production of "Kaththi" fame.

Latest buzz suggests that the director had planned to cast Kamal Haasan in the movie, but the actor is said to have turned down the offer.  

Grapevine has it that Shankar's next is a sequel to his blockbuster film "Enthiran". He reportedly approached Kamal Haasan to play the role of a baddie in the movie, but things changed as Lyca Productions could not agree on the Universal Star's remuneration. It is said that the actor demanded a huge paycheck and the production house felt that it would be difficult to meet his demands.

Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, who have acted in over 10 movies together in their earlier days in the industry, have not teamed up for three decades now. Hence people were curiously waiting to see them share screen space again. When rumours of Shankar casting the legends surfaced, cine-goers were thrilled but now they have been left disappointed.

The role has now reportedly gone to Vikram, Shankar's favourite actor. They had recently worked in "Ai" and their combo had turned successful on earlier occasion with "Anniyan". So, the choice for the director for the villain's role was easy and he offered the film to the "Deiva Thirumagal" star.

However, the exciting part of the story is that the budget of the movie is said to be ₹200 crore. This, by any margin, is a huge amount for an Indian film. However, this does not come as a surprise as Shankar-Rajinikanth's "Enthiran" was made with ₹132 crore five years ago.

On the other hand, makers are tight lipped about the project. As per the sources, makers will formally announce the details once everything is finalised.