Varun Tej has signed up for a role in the Telugu remake of the 2014 Tamil film Jigarthanda. Reports indicate that Tej will be reprising the character played by Bobby Simha in the original.
Directed by Karthik Subbaraj, Jiagarthanda was about an aspiring filmmaker (played by 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 who had previously directed the Alu Arjun movie DJ Duvvada Jagannadham. A source close to the film said in an Iflicks report. “The Telugu remake is by director Harish Shankar, and 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,”
Varun Tej is currently awaiting the release of his space thriller Antariksham 9000 KMPH. Directed by Sankalp Reddy, the movie also stars Aditi Rao Hydari and Lavanya Tripathi. It is scheduled to release on December 21.
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While an official confirmation about the cast of Jigarthanda is yet to come, 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. Shot as a bilingual, the film released as Kanam in Telugu. He starred opposite Sai Pallavi in the film.
Raj Tarun is rumoured to be playing Karunakaran’s role from the original Jigarthanda. 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. It was also remade into Kannada in 2016. The film was produced by actor Sudeep.