After the success of the super hit multistarrer, ‘Chekka Chivantha Vaanam’ starring Vijay Sethupathi, Simbu, Arun Vijay and Arvind Swamy in the lead, ace director Mani Ratnam is busy with the pre-production of his silver-screen adaptation of the five-part novel ‘Ponniyin Selvan’, written by Kalki.

Recently, Aishwarya Rai  Bachchan reportedly confirmed at the Cannes Film Festival that she is a part of Mani Ratnam’s film. The actress will be collaborating with the director for the fourth time, after ‘Iruvar’, ‘Guru’ and ‘Raavanan’.

Now, the latest update is that actress Anushka Shetty  was approached to play a crucial role in the film. However, the ‘Baahubali’ actress is yet to confirm her involvement in the project. Meanwhile, Anushka Shetty is currently shooting for the Hemanth Madhukar-directed thriller, Silence, along with Madhavan, Anjali and Shalini Pandey  in important roles.

Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ will reportedly go on floors only in 2020. The director has planned to cast many big stars in ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ including Jayam Ravi, Karthi, and Vikram are the director’s choice to play the lead roles.

‘Isai Puyal’ AR Rahman will be composing the music for the film but an official announcement will be out only after Mani Ratnam finalises the budget and the list of actors who will be associated with the film as the project will last over a period of six months.