Mahesh Babus Next Movie With Mani Rathinam a Suspense Thriller

Mani Ratnam to direct a suspense thriller with Mahesh Babu. Buzz is that the bilingual film— in Telugu and Tamil — is a 'suspense action thriller'

1 Nenokkadine may not have fetched the expected dividends for Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu, but he has already moved on with his next project. Sources indicate that ace film-maker Mani Ratnam will direct his next flick which will be made in Telugu and Tamil. The big-budget film is likely to be wrapped up this year itself.

Mahesh Babu is now busy shooting Srinu Vaitla-directed Aagadu. The actor, we have learnt, is taking a break from the shooting to promote 1 Nenokkadine because the audience response to the movie is not very encouraging. "Too much hype surrounded 1 Nenokkadine and it was marketed as the biggest movie of Mahesh Babu in terms of budget and shooting. Unfortunately, the movie did not work on the expected lines. It's more like an experiment. So, the Prince has been forced to take a break from his shooting schedule," a source close to the actor said.

Apparently, Mani Ratnam has been in talks with Mahesh Babu for the last few months. As the actor was busy with 1 Nenokkadine, he did not give priority to the film. Now we hear that the Prince has fast-tracked the Mani Ratnam project and is keen on shooting for the same once he completes Aagadu.

Sources close to him say though the actor is not exactly disappointed with 1 Nenokkadine, he is a bit let down by the response. "Prince is keen on working on a fresh topic. Mani sir's movie is an action thriller with suspense forming the core. The scripting is expected to be completed by March. If all goes well, the shooting for the movie will be completed this year itself," the source added.

Interestingly, Mani Ratnam has three projects in his kitty. He had planned a Tamil-Malayalam bilingual, featuring Fahadh Faasil. There were also speculations about him reviving his Hindi project Lajjo. But with Mahesh Babu giving the go-ahead, the director has placed the other two projects on the backburner, sources said.

The awarding-winning director is going through a dull phase with his previous venture Kadal sinking at the box office.

Source : ITim