Ranveer Singh collaborates with Shankar for Hindi remake of Vikram's Tamil hit Anniyan

NEW DELHI: Ranveer Singh is all set to feature in the Hindi adaptation of the 2005 Tamil psychological thriller Anniyan, directed by S Shankar, who will also helm the new film. Anniyan starred Vikram in the lead role. The yet-to-be-titled pan India project will be produced by Jayantilal Gada. The shooting schedule of the film is slated to begin mid-2022. The film will mark Ranveer Singh's first project with Shankar, who is known for directing Rajinikanth in blockbusters like Enthiran, 2.0 and Sivaji The Boss. "Proudly announcing my collaboration with the pioneering visionary of Indian cinema, the maverick master craftsman SHANKAR, powered by veteran film producer Dr Jayantilal Gada," wrote Ranveer Singh on Instagram announcing his new film.

In the 2005 film, Vikram played the role of a man who suffers from multiple personality disorder - he works as a lawyer by day and a vigilante at night. Anniyan was dubbed in Hindi as Aparichit and in Telugu as Aparichithudu. It won the National Film Award for the Best Special Effects.

Ranveer Singh is super excited to star in a Shankar-directed film. The actor, in a statement, called the director "one of India's finest talents" and said that he "hugely admires" S Shankar. He said: "To lead a film like Anniyan is a dream come true for any artiste. Vikram sir, one of our country's finest talents, an artiste who I hugely admire, gave a colossal performance in the original, one that can never be matched. I can only hope that my interpretation and rendition of the part also connect with audiences in the same way. It's undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime performance piece, and I am ready to give this role every single ounce of my being," reported news agency PTI.

According to Shankar, he selected Ranveer Singh for the lead role because the Hindi remake of Anniyan needed a "maverick, charismatic showman." He said in a statement: "I'm thrilled to make Anniyan for the pan-Indian audience and I'm confident that this powerful story will strike a chord in the hearts of all. In Jayantilal Gada, Ranveer and I have found an ideal producer who believes in the vision we have to change the nativity of content for audiences across the country," reported PTI.

Anniyan that also starred Sadha, Nedumudi Venu, Nassar and Prakash Raj, won several awards including the Best Actor, Best Film and Best Director at the 53rd Filmfare Awards South.