Kiara Advani in talks for Sivakarthikeyan's film with Mandela director?

Sivakarthikeyan, who's basking in the success of Don; which recently collected Rs 100 crore at the box office, is likely to team up with Madonne Ashwin, whose Mandela (streaming on Netflix), was much talked about. The critically-acclaimed social drama had Yogi Babu in the lead role. Although Sivakarthikeyan hasn't signed on the dotted line, we hear, the pre-production work will start sometime next month, and the makers are expected to reveal the cast and crew soon.

Further, grapevine has it that Kiara Advani, who rose to fame with her performance in Lust Stories, is being approached for this one (tentatively titled SK 22), to star opposite Sivakarthikeyan. The Bollywood actor, who's busy with Ram Charan’s RC 15, directed by Shankar, has starred in Telugu cinema; namely, Bharat Ane Nenu, and Vinaya Vidheya Rama but hasn't made her debut in Kollywood.

Interestingly, reports were rife in 2019 that she was the frontrunner to play the heroine in the Sivakarthikeyan-Vignesh Shivn film. This project never went on floors, owing to budget issues. Eventually, Vignesh Shivn went on to direct Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal, featuring Vijay Sethupathi, Samantha and Nayanthara. The love triangle, which was released on April 28, has dropped on Disney+Hotstar.

Meanwhile, Sivakarthikeyan is filming SK 20, directed by KV Anudeep of Jathi Ratnalu-fame, in Puducherry. Billed as a comedy entertainer, the bilingual is bankrolled by Sree Venkateswara Cinemas in association with Suresh Productions. In an interview with Cinema Express, Sivakarthikeyan had said this one was a straight Tamil film that will be dubbed into Telugu.

Post this, Sivakarthikeyan has a project with Rajkumar Periyasamy of Rangoon-fame; produced by Kamal Haasan's home banner, Raj Kamal Films International and Sony Pictures. Sai Pallavi has been confirmed to play the female lead.

In a statement to the press, Kamal Haasan said, “The power of a well-told story is transformative, and I believe this story will move, uplift and inspire the audience in many ways. I am very proud to be collaborating with Sony Pictures Films India, actor Sivakarthikeyan and director Rajkumar Periasamy to bring this compelling story to the big screen.”