The rights are with me: Shankar reacts to 'Anniyan' producer's allegations

The Hindi remake of 'Anniyan' will feature Ranveer Singh in the lead

Noted producer V Ravichandran on Thursday (April 15) asked director Shankar to stop work on the Hindi remake of the 2005 blockbuster Anniyan, claiming that he had the rights to the film. He accused the I helmer of 'illegal copying' and reminded him that he had given him the opportunity to direct the film even though Boys had not done well at the box office. Shankar has now dismissed the allegations and emphasised that the rights to the story rest with him.

Anniyan was a psychological thriller, which featured Vikram in the lead and revolved around what happens when the protagonist becomes a vigilante after developing a 'split personality' . It did exceptionally well in the South Indian states, receiving favourable reviews for its impressive production values. The cast included Sadha, Nassar, Vivek, Saurabh Shukla and Yana Gupta. It was later dubbed in Hindi and Telugu as Aparichit and Aparichithudu. While the Hindi dubbed version did not do well at the box office, it attained a cult following due to numerous reruns on TV.

Also read: Ranveer Singh to collaborate with Shankar for Hindi adaptation of 'Anniyan'

Shankar, meanwhile, is going through a busy phase on the work front. and will be resuming work on Indian 2 once the Covid-19 situation improves. The film, which revolves around an aged freedom fighter's war against corruption, is a sequel to the yesteryear classic Indian/Hindustani and features Kamal Haasan in the lead. The film stars Kajal Aggarwal as the leading lady and marks her first collaboration with the Sadma star.

The Sivaji director recently collaborated with Telugu star Ram Charan for a pan-India movie, backed by Dil Raju. The buzz is that it will feature the 'Mega Power Star' in the role of a Chief Minister and have a commercial storyline. It will be shot on a budget of Rs 150 crore and may star the 'Karnataka Crush' Rashmika Mandanna, who was last seen in the Tamil movie Sulthan, as the leading lady.