In the season of biopics, actor Ajay Devgn has signed on the dotted line for a historical to be directed by Neeraj Pandey of A Wednesday and Special 26 fame. The actor will play Chanakya, the scholar, advisor, economist and political strategist of King Chandragupta Maurya, and the one credited with establishing the Maurya empire as a seat of power.
Chankaya is traditionally identified as Kauṭilya or Vishnugupta, who authored the ancient Indian political treatise the Arthashastra.
The actor confirmed the news on his official Twitter handle.
Looking forward to playing #Chanakya, a film about one of the greatest thinkers in Indian History, directed by @neerajpofficial.@RelianceEnt @FFW_Official @PlanC_Studios @ShitalBhatiaFFW
— Ajay Devgn (@ajaydevgn) July 11, 2018
In the official press statement, Neeraj Pandey said: “I have been developing this film on Chanakya for quite some time now. It’s an exciting work of passion for me, and I am sure the audiences will love Ajay in his portrayal of the visionary genius.”
Says Ajay, who teams up the director for the first time with this project: “I am truly looking forward to playing Chanakya. I’ve followed Neeraj Pandey’s work closely and I know Neeraj will tell this story with the clarity and passion with which it needs to be told.”
Recommended
Commenting on the Ajay-Neeraj collaboration, Shibasish Sarkar of Reliance Entertainment, which is producing the film, said, “Epic characters such as Chanakya have an everlasting sense of mystery and legend around them. The collaboration between Neeraj Pandey and Ajay Devgn is itself something that fans have been waiting for a long time to see on the big screen.”
Details of the cast and crew are yet unknown and the release date is yet to be finalised.
Meanwhile, Ajay Devgn, who was last seen in Raid as a conscientious Income Tax officer who orders a raid on a political bigwig and completes his job despite political pressure and a teeming mob, has films such as Total Dhamaal, Sons of Sardaar: The Battle of Saragarhi and Luv Ranjan’s untitled film with Ranbir Kapoor coming up.