We had previously reported that Pa Ranjith will be working on his first Hindi film which will be a biopic on tribal freedom fighter, Birsa Munda. However, there was speculation that he might team up with Arya for a Tamil film, in which the actor will play the role of a boxer, before the Bollywood project.

Now, a source close to the director has confirmed that the collaboration might happen but it will not be Ranjith's next. "The director has locked the script for the biopic and the team is currently busy with pre-production. It will be a grand film that requires a lot of work and attention, so Ranjith is currently focussed only on this project. Ranjith's next Tamil film will only be after the Hindi project and it might star Arya," says the source. It is also said that the biopic will be made on a huge budget, starring some of the biggest names of the industry. An official announcement on the cast can be expected soon.

The Birsa Munda biopic will be bankrolled by Namah Pictures, known for bankrolling Majid Majidi's Beyond the Clouds. Birsa Munda, an active name in the freedom struggle, is the only tribal leader to have his portrait in the central hall of the Indian Parliament. Said to go on floors from next month, the film will be shot in Ranchi, where Birsa Munda is from. Most of the film will be set in the forests.