Malayalam actor Sowmya Menon is set to make her Kannada debut with the biopic on reformed underworld don Muthappa Rai. The Ravi Srivatsa directorial venture will have Sowmya playing the female lead. Known for films like Kinavalli, Fancy Dress, Children's Park, Margam Kali, and Neeyum Njanum, Sowmya will be paired opposite Deekshith in the film, which is titled MR.

This project will be Deekshith's launch vehicle and is being produced by his father Shubharajanna's Soubhagya Lakshmi Films. 

The biopic will be out as a three-part series and will show more of the life and times of the don than just his underworld activities. The team recently shot an introduction scene at the Shilhaandara Resort, for which the director had brought in numerous cars and a helicopter, which was used only for the film's promotion.

MR will have Gurukiran scoring music. The makers are planning to begin shooting from January.

While Darshan's Chakravarthy, directed by Chintan, was loosely based on the underworld, there are a couple of filmmakers, including Ram Gopal Varma, who have shown interest in making a film about Muthappa Rai. There were reports of Sudeep donning the character, but later, the name of Vivek Oberoi did the rounds. However, the project, which was planned to be made in different languages, did not take off for reasons unknown. Now, Ravi Srivatsa has finally picked up the subject and is gearing up to trace the journey of Muthappa Rai.