Shahid Kapoor to play titular role in film on Chhatrapati Shivaji?

Shahid Kapoor is reportedly reuniting with his Kabir Singh producer Ashwin Varde for a period drama based on the life and triumphs of Chhatrapati Shivaji. For the big-ticket film, Ashwin has joined hands with Lyca Productions, a reputed banner from South India.

Hyderabad: After playing Maharawal Ratan Singh in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat, Bollywood star Shahid Kapoor is gearing up to return to the historical drama genre yet again. The actor is rumoured to play the lead role in an upcoming period drama based on the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji, who had laid the foundations of the Hindavi Swaraj and the Maratha Empire.

According to reports, Shahid is in talks to play the brave Maratha king in the film which will reunite him with Ashwin Varde, who had bankrolled actor's greatest hit so far, Kabir Singh. To put together the mammoth project, Ashwin has reportedly joined hands with South India's A-list production banner Lyca Productions. The film will mark Layca Productions' full-fledged foray into Hindi cinema after backing Shankar's 2018 released 2.0 featuring Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar in the lead roles.

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On a related note, before Ashwin and Shahid, many filmmakers and actors have been toying with the idea of making a film on Shivaji. Riteish Deshmukh has already announced a multilingual trilogy on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 2020. Directed by Nagraj Manjule, the film will be backed by Deshmukh's production - Mumbai Film Company. Buzz also had it that Ali Abbas Zafar too is planning to mount a film with Salman Khan as Shivaji.