Filmmaker Raghava Lawrence is set to make his Bollywood debut with the eagerly-awaited Akshay Kumar-starrer Laxmii and this has created a fair deal of buzz among movie buffs, The film, a remake of the director's Tamil sleeper hit Kanchana, features 'Khiladi' in a new avatar and revolves around the journey of a man who is processed by a female spirit.
With the horror set to release on Disney+ Hotstar on November 9, here are five things fans need to know about the gifted storyteller.
Talent personified: Lawrence is a multi-talented artiste, who has worked in different capacities during his career. He started out as a choreographer with the Chiranjeevi-starrer Hitler, which released in 1997, and impressed the 'Megastar' with his work.
Lawrence made his acting debut with the 1999 Telugu movie Speed Dancer, adding a new dimension to his career. He subsequently starred in popular movies such as Motta Shiva Ketta Shiva and Kanchana 3, proving his mettle as an actor.
He made his directorial debut with the Telugu actioner Mass, which released in 2004 and emerged as a runaway hit. He also wielded the microphone for the previously-mentioned Kanchana 3, Nagarjuna's Don, and the Prabhas-starrer Rebel.
Also read: Akshay Kumar-starrer Laxmmi Bomb’s title changed to 'Laxmii' in a bid to 'respect sentiments'
He once received a compliment from Rajinikanth: In 2006, he starred in the well-received Tollywood movie Style that emerged as a commercial success. In an interview given to the popular website Idlebrain, he revealed that 'Superstar' Rajinikanth had liked his performance in the movie and congratulated him for delivering the goods.
He nearly opted out of Laxmii: Lawrence had a major disagreement with the makers of Laxmii ( previously known as Laxmmi Bomb) as they released its first look poster without his consent. He initially opted out of the biggie but eventually changed his mind after discussing the issue with Akshay.
Lawrence gave Nani a run for his money: Lawrence became the talk of the town last year when Kanchana 3 outperformed Nani's Jersey in the Telugu states, emerging as the choice of the masses.
The future is bright: He is a huge Rajinikanth fan and will soon be starring in the eagerly-awaited Chandramukhi 2, a sequel to Thalaivar's 2005 blockbuster Chandramukhi. The film is being produced by Sun Pictures and marks P Vasu's return to filmmaking. He also has Kanchana 4, which is touted to be 'bigger and better' than Kanchana 3 in his kitty.