National award-winning filmmaker Bala, who awaits the release of Naachiyaar this week, is soon expected to begin work on the Tamil remake of last year’s critically acclaimed Telugu film Arjun Reddy.

Titled Varma, the film marks the debut of Vikram’s son Dhruv, who will reprise Vijay Devarakonda’s role from the original. Announced last November, the regular shooting of the film is finally expected to commence from March, reliable sources have confirmed. Apparently, the makers are yet to zero in on the female lead.

Shalini Pandey, who played the role in the original, was considered briefly but Bala is keen on roping in a newcomer. The team is still on the lookout for a suitable heroine and the process is taking more time than expected.

Meanwhile, the pre-production work is going on in full swing. Filmmaker Raju Murugan, known for helming films such as Cuckoo and Joker, has been signed to pen the dialogues. The project will be bankrolled by E4 Entertainment, producers of popular Malayalam films such as Ezra and Godha.

Vikram had hinted in the past that his son will eventually follow in his footsteps. However, he wasn’t sure whether he’d be interested in acting or direction. Last year, Dhruv directed a short film called Goodnight Charlie, and it was about child abuse within a family. When the film came out, many assumed that he has directorial dreams and would enter the industry as a director.

It’s surprising that he has decided to don the greasepaint. It won’t be an easy debut considering the high expectations people will have on the remake, thanks to the popularity of the character Arjun Reddy, a contemporary take on Devdas, which explored love and suffering in the most hard-hitting fashion.

(Content provided by Digital Native)