Producer Dil Raju, who is celebrating his birthday today, has reportedly walked out of superstar Kamal Haasan and director Shankar's big-ticket movie Indian 2, which will be made in Telugu as Bharateeyudu 2.
Along with Shankar, Dil Raju had recently appeared on the grand finale of Kamal Hassan-hosted hit reality TV show Bigg Boss Tamil to make an announcement about Indian 2. Addressing the viewers, the producer said: "We have always strived to bring meaningful cinema to the Telugu audiences and it is in the same endeavour that we have collaborated with this prestigious and ambitious project."
But, Dil Raju, who is busy promoting his next release MCA aka Middle Class Abbayi, held a press meet on Sunday and confirmed that he is not going to be a part of Indian 2. "Since I like Shankar a lot, I wanted to produce the film with him. However, ever since I ventured out, my friends and well-wishers were not favourably inclined. They advised me against it," India Glitz quoted him as saying.
It is rumoured that Shankar and actor Kamal Haasan quoted Rs 45 crore and Rs 40 crore as their remuneration, respectively. He realised that he needs to shell out another Rs 65 crore on other cast and crew. The total cost of its production would reach Rs 150 crore, which made him think that it would not be viable.
Dil Raju was convinced about director Shankar's market value and was ready to fulfill his demands. But he was a bit taken aback by actor Kamal Hassan's demand after seeing his current market. Hence, he decided to opt out the project. However, Lyca Production is likely to lap it up.
Dil Raju is one of the most successful Tollywood producers. Having done over 25 films in a decade, the producer has claimed a success rate of 80 percent in the industry that works on less than 20 percent success rate. He is known for his skills in film production. He has five back-to-back hits for his credit in 2017.
