Varun’s next with Gopichand Malineni

A sports drama primarily, it will roll on by year-end

Actor Varun Tej, who is riding high on accolades he has been receiving for his outing as Dhoopati Hari Babu in Krish’s ‘Kanche’, is said to have zeroed in on his next director.

Though names like Veeru Potla were considered for his next, Hans Talkies has exclusively learnt that Gopichand Malineni, known for flashy commercial potboilers, will be wielding the megaphone for the lanky actor’s next.

The work-in-progress project, we are told, will be set in a sports backdrop with romance and comedy interspersed into the plot in equal measures. A source close to the unit confirms, “The deliberations have been on for a while.

When Gopichand bounced the final draft to Varun recently, the actor along with his father Naga Babu endorsed it. The pre-production work is currently underway and the director is (presently) enhancing the script with his team of writers.”

Nallamalapu Buji and Tagore Madhu, who produced Varun’s launch vehicle ‘Mukunda’ will bankroll this project too, the filming of which will flag-off in December. The makers are in the process of locking the final the cast and crew.

By Sashidhar Adivi