Shankar teams up with Ranveer Singh for Anniyan Hindi remake

Earlier, it was speculated that Shankar and Ranveer Singh were coming together for the Hindi remake of the 2005 Tamil blockbuster Anniyan. Now, the makers have officially confirmed this. 

Director Shankar took to Twitter to share the news. He also shared a picture with Ranveer Singh and producer Dr Jayantilal Gada, who is backing the project under the Pen Studios banner. 

The yet-untitled film is set to go on floors in mid-2022.

In a statement, Shankar said, “For it to be made into a Hindi film, Anniyan needed a maverick, charismatic showman like no other to play the part. I found this in the mercurial Ranveer Singh because he is a once-in-a-generation actor who has shown us that he can immortalise a character through his stellar performance.”

He added, “I’m thrilled to make Anniyan for the pan-Indian audience and I’m confident that this powerful story will strike a chord in the hearts of all. In Dr Gada, Ranveer and I have found an ideal producer who believes in the vision we have.”

Ranveer Singh, meanwhile, said, “I am blessed to have this opportunity to be a part of the spectacular cinematic vision of Shankar sir. He is an exception to the norm, a true disruptor who has shown us that no vision is too large to achieve on screen. I had always hoped and dreamed that I would get a chance to collaborate with him, and I have a strong feeling that we will create magic together. To lead a film like Anniyan is a dream come true for any artiste.”

Ranveer also praised Vikram, who acted in the original Tamil version. “Vikram sir, one of our country’s finest talents, an artiste who I hugely admire, gave a colossal performance in the original, one that can never be matched. I can only hope that my interpretation and rendition of the part also connects with audiences in the same way. It’s undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime performance piece, and I am ready to give this role every single ounce of my being. Shankar sir is a genius filmmaker and a true visionary. Words don’t do justice to just how excited I am at the prospect of being directed by him.”

Anniyan is the story of Ramanujam Iyengar aka Ambi, who is frustrated with the bad state of society and his unrequited love. He develops multiple personality disorder, with two additional identities called Remo and Anniyan. While the former, a charismatic romantic, tries to woo Ambi's love interest, the latter, a vigilante, goes about punishing wrongdoers based on the Hindu text, Garuda Puranam.