Thalapathy 68: Will Vijay pick Gopichand Malineni over Atlee?

According to sources, Telugu filmmaker Gopichand Malineni is currently in Chennai to finalise his upcoming movie with Tamil superstar Vijay . However, it is said that Vijay has not yet made a final decision, despite discussions taking place. Reportedly, the producers of the Pushpa franchise, Mythri Movie Makers, had previously given an advance to Vijay and are now keen to cash in on their investment.

Gopichand has previously directed a hit action drama, Veera Simha Reddy, starring Nandamuri Balakrishna, which turned out to be a profitable venture for its producers despite mixed reviews. Encouraged by the success, Gopichand pitched his story to Vijay, and if everything works out, this could be his biggest project yet.

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If it happens, the said project will mark Vijay's second collaboration with a director from the Telugu film industry, after Varisu with Vamshi Paidipally. 

However, Vijay has other considerations before agreeing to the movie. After wrapping up Leo with director Lokesh Kanagaraj, Vijay was expected to collaborate with Atlee, with whom he has previously worked on three big blockbusters: Theri, Mersal, and Bigil. Atlee will wrap up the production of his upcoming movie Jawan, starring Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. Following which he will be ready to work with Vijay again. 

It remains to be seen which director Vijay will ultimately choose, between Gopichand and Atlee.

Currently, Vijay is busy shooting for Leo, which is written and directed by Lokesh. The movie boasts of an ensemble cast that includes Trisha, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun, Priya Anand, Mysskin, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Mansoor Ali Khan, Sandy Master, and Mathew Thomas, among others. The production is now underway in Chennai, and Lokesh has promised to deliver "an amazing action movie."