Music composer Arjun Janya is all set to make his directorial debut with the upcoming big-budget film, 45. The first-time director has managed to rope in an interesting cast for the multistarrer.

Earlier, we reported that 45 will star Shivarajkumar and Upendra in the leads. Now, it has come to light that noted actor-filmmaker Raj B Shetty is joining the project.

Confirming to CE that he will be part of CE, Raj B Shetty says, "With my current commitments, I was skeptical about taking up any project. But my decision changed after meeting composer turned-director Arjun Janya. He was honest and genuine, and well-prepared for the project. He and his producer (Ramesh Reddy) were open to my suggestions. I realised that Arjun Janya had only one hunger to make a good film, and he thought I fit the bill. He is thinking like a director, which is an important quality, and I'm looking forward to working in this film along with Shivarajkumar and Upendra."

While 45 will reunite Shivanna and Upendra for the fourth time after Om, Preetse, and Lava-Kush, this is the first time Raj will be sharing screen space with Shivanna and Upendra.

Speaking to CE, Arjun says, "Leaving aside that the film marks my debut as a director, it is essentially the script that has brought in the actors for 45."

Billed to be a mass entertainer with a first-of-its-kind subject, Arjun shares that all three stars have an equal role to play in the film.

Bankrolled by Ramesh Reddy (Nathicharami, Gaalipata 2) under his Suraj Production banner, 45 will have Arjun composing the music, and writing the story and screenplay.

Currently, in the pre-production stage, the makers of 45 have plans to make this a multilingual project by releasing it in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi.

Meanwhile, Raj is busy writing the script for his next directorial, Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye, which also stars him in the lead along with Ramya. 

Shivarajkumar, who is waiting for Vedha, is currently shooting for Srini's Ghost. Upendra is busy with his next directorial project UI, which is currently on floors.