Exclusive! 'Kiccha Sudeep & Venkat Prabhu project in development, more clarity after 'Custody',' says source

Kiccha Sudeep has kept his fans guessing about his next as the hunt for an update regarding his 46th project, Kiccha46, continues. The superstar actor was last seen donning the titular role in Anup Bhandari's highly ambitious period, fantasy-adventure Vikrant Rona and has since then been quite reclusive with respect to his upcoming projects. However, one finds sparks rising every time he is seen interacting with a producer or filmmaker but most of it is left to conjecture at this point. 

But we at OTTplay have grown privy to a piece of information that is likely to interest all the many million Sudeep fans. Back in 2021, Sudeep and ace Tamil director Venkat Prabhu's seemingly informal rendezvous had hit the headlines with many led to believe soon after that a mega collaboration is on the cards. While there has been no formal word on the same since then, Sudeep's acknowledgement of the same in an interview came as an unofficial confirmation, albeit without any real info to rely upon. Well, a source close to the Maanaadu director tells us that the project, quite indeed, is on the cards and is being developed as we speak.

"Venkat sir is currently busy with the Naga Chaitanya project Custody which, as it turns out, has been a gruelling stint so far. The entire team is currently stationed in Hyderabad for the shoot and is set to continue for another 20-odd days before wrapping it up. With this film demanding all his time and attention, Venkat is expected to do something about the Sudeep project only once he is in the post-production stage of Custody. The Sudeep film is definitely on the cards but it is now a matter of time before there's more clarity," says the source in an exclusive chat with OTTplay.

With Sudeep being a major superstar in Kannada and Venkat Prabhu being a prominent member of the Tamil Film Industry, would the collaboration be a bilingual one? And considering that Venkat Prabhu has dabbled in every cinematic genre possible - from buddy comedies and heist action dramas to time-loop thrillers - what kind of a project are the two keen on working on?

"It is too early to say what genre that film will fall under. Venkat Prabhu sir has shared 2-3 ideas with Sudeep sir and the latter is said to have liked one of them which is currently being developed. Venkat sir has another team which is working on the script and other aspects of the development so that the team can get started at the earliest: tentatively the film should go on floors later this year. Regardless, the film will be made in both Tamil and Kannada and will definitely be a pan-India release. Sudeep sir is a huge star in Kannada cinema but is also very popular in Tamil. Venkat sir, on the other hand, is highly regarded in all of south India today," adds the source.

Back in 2021, following the meeting that stirred up some speculations, Venkat Prabhu had stated that he discussed a couple of storylines with Sudeep for future collaborations but without any clear agenda. In a later conversation with another media outlet, Sudeep said that the Venkat Prabhu project was likely to take off in October of 2022 but, quite obviously, things did not pan out that way. With Sudeep also rumoured to be associated with other projects and Venkat Prabhu engrossed in his own set of tasks at the moment, their eventual collaboration may or may not be the much-anticipate Kiccha46. More updates to follow.