Harish Shankar, Gowtam Tinnanuri in race to direct Vijay Deverakonda?

After delivering three duds in a row, actor Vijay Deverakonda is now in introspection. The Arjun Reddy actor has taken a break from the shooting schedule of his upcoming film Kushi and is holding talks with a few directors for his next project. While speculations were rife that Jana Gana Mana, which is also being directed by Puri Jagannadh, has been shelved following Liger's box office failure, Vijay is now planning to revive his fortunes by collaborating with a young director.

Grapevine is that Vijay is now holding talks with director Harish Shankar for a film to be backed by Dil Raju under Sri Venkateswara Creations. "Harish is working on a script keeping Vijay in mind and will meet the actor soon for narration. If Vijay is impressed with the idea, Dil Raju will take the project forward by donning the producer's hat," says a source close to the actor.

Buzz is that Mythri Movie Makers are also planning to bring Jersey-fame Gowtam Tinnanuri on board for their next with Vijay. "After Hero was shelved, Vijay is committed to doing another film for Mythri Movie Makers and is on the lookout for a suitable script. Now that Gowtam's film with Ram Charan was put on the back burner, the producers are planning to set a film under the combination of Gowtam and Vijay. A clear picture will emerge once Gowtam completes working on his script," the source adds.

Besides these films, Vijay also has a project with director Sukumar in the pipeline. "This untitled film will go on floors only next year after Sukumar wraps up Pushpa: The Rule," the source reveals.