Dhananjay to play MP Jayaraj, Bengaluru’s first underworld don

Stories revolving around the underworld and mafia seem to be the flavour of the season for Sandalwood filmmakers. While Upendra-starrer Kabza, directed by R Chandru, deals with an underworld subject, an upcoming project starring Dhananjay will be another addition to the line-up. The actor, who rose to fame with the character of Daali in Tagaru, once again grabbed eyeballs by playing Seena in Suri’s upcoming Popcorn Monkey Tiger. 

The actor is now set to play Bengaluru’s first underworld don MP Jayaraj his biopic. Earlier, it was speculated that actors Shivarajkumar or Upendra will play the role. However, the project has now fallen in Dhananjay’s hands. This will be the actor’s second biopic, after Allama Prabhu. The film marks the directorial debut of Shoonya. It is a period drama set in the 1970s and will also see the return of Agni Shridhar. The director of Thamassu and writer of films like AA Dinagalu, Edegarike and Kiragoorina Gayyaligalu has penned the script and dialogues of this yet-to-be-titled film, which will be produced by Ashu Bedra. 

An official announcement was made by the team on Monday, and preparations are underway to start the project in June. The story also includes an episode about the politician, Devaraj Urs, a role for which the makers are currently looking for a suitable actor. Taking a cue from the KGF series, they are planning to make the film as a 2-part series, and are also looking for a pan-India reach. The biopic on MP Jayaraj is likely to be released in all four south Indian languages and Hindi.