Not shelved; Vicky Kaushal-Samantha Ruth Prabhu's 'Ashwatthama' gets new lease of life

After several reports of Aditya Dhar's highly-anticipated project, The Immortal Ashwatthama being shelved, the film is reportedly finally back on track. Actor Vicky Kaushal, who will play the titular role, is set to begin shooting for the project after completing the Meghna Gulzar-directed Sam Manekshaw biopic. 

As per a report by Pinkvilla, it has been learnt that after finishing the biopic by February next year, Vicky will start preparing and shooting for Ashwatthama. Apart from Vicky, the film will also reportedly star Samantha Ruth Prabhu in the lead. 

Vicky Kaushal, Samantha's next project Ashwatthama back on track

The film which was earlier shelved due to budget constraints is finally being brought on track with shooting to begin in summer 2023. A source close to the development told the publication that “Vicky and Aditya share ample passion for The Immortal Ashwatthama. The film is like a dream they saw together, and hence Adi going ahead with the film without Vicky was never a question. There was some back and forth happening over the last few months on the budget and casting front, but the film is now all geared up to go on floors next summer." 

The source further added that the upcoming project will be a two-part film, that will be shot together. Considering all the heavy VFX and the grandeur of the project, it is believed to be quite a costly film. "It’s an extremely costly film, but Aditya has big ambitions. He wants to take things to the next level and has worked very hard over the last three years to have all the source material in place. Even on the visual front, he has made a storyboard, which has impressed all the studio heads at Jio (the producers).” 

The story of the film is based on Mahabharata in a superhero format, and Dhar believes that his story can cross national boundaries too. This would be the second collaboration of Vicky with Aditya after their National Award-winning, Uri: The Surgical Strike.