Pooja Hegde signs Varun Tej's Valmiki

Contrary to reports about Pooja Hegde walking out of Varun Tej-starrer Valmiki due to remuneration issues, a source close to Pooja called it a media speculation. "Pooja has signed on the dotted line and has given call sheet for 20 days. She is paired opposite Varun and will join the sets in June," reveals the source.

A remake of the critically-acclaimed Tamil film Jigarthanda, the film also has Tamil actor Atharvaa stepping into the shoes of Siddharth's role of a filmmaker. Meanwhile, Super Deluxe-fame Mirnalini Ravi has been roped in for Lakshmi Menon's role.

Recently, Mickey J Meyer replaced Devi Sri Prasad as the composer after the latter opted out of the film due to creative differences with director Harish Shankar. The film went on floors after a formal launch in Hyderabad and the team has recently completed a short schedule in Singapore. Produced by 14 Reels Plus, Valmiki is likely to release in September.