'Killing Veerappan' in the Pipeline: Ram Gopal Varma Ropes in Kannada Actor Shiva Rajkumar

Ram Gopal Varma has revealed that he is now working on a film "Killing Veerappan", based on sandalwood smuggler Veerappan, and has roped in popular Kannada actor Shiva Rajkumar for the lead role in the movie.

The maverick filmmaker has released a press statement, which confirms his plans on the production of "Killing Veerappan". "I have been immensely interested to do a film on Veerappan for years and I finally got the most perfect script, which I think will be greatest portrayal of the phenomenon of Veerappan," read his statement.

"Veerappan is truly one of a kind and also the only kind in the criminal history of the world. Compared to Veerappan, Bandit Queen's Phoolan Devi seems like a cheap pickpocket to me. Neither in China nor in America is a parallel criminal to him," Ram Gopal Varma adds.

The movie has better content than any of his previous underworld films. "I gathered Veerappan's true story from unnameable and highly secretive sources. It has 100 times more drama and content than that of Dawood Ibrahim. The biggest hero for me is the man who killed him. So this is the actual untold and unknown true story of the man, who killed Veerappan," says the director.

Veerappan was one of the most ruthless criminals the world has ever seen. He killed more than 800 elephants and 227 people including 72 police officers. Three state governments of India spent more than ₹600 crores to catch him. Around 1200 task force police searched for him through a 16000 sq km jungle for 15 years.

"He was more dangerous in the context than Osama Bin Laden. Unlike Osama, he was just a criminal and never had an ideological cause. He was unparalleled in cunning, ruthlessness and barbarism in the entire crime history of the whole world," says Ram Gopal Varma.

"Killing Veerappan is not the story of Veerappan but it's going to be the story of the man who killed Veerappan. Kannada superstar Shiva Rajkumar will play the man, who killed him. It's ironic that Shiva's father, the late legendary actor Rajkumar was kidnapped by Veerappan. So here's a case of the real life son taking a reel life revenge on a real life villain," adds the director.