‘Lucifer’ Telugu remake, starring Chiranjeevi, to begin shoot from February

The Telugu remake of 'Lucifer' is being referred to as 'Chiru 153'

Tollywood actor Chiranjeevi’s upcoming movie Chiru 153, which was formally launched on Wednesday, is set to go on the floors from February. The biggie, helmed by Tamil director Mohan Raja, is the Telugu remake of the Malayalam blockbuster Lucifer and features ‘Megastar Garu’ in a new avatar.

Chiru 153 was originally supposed to be directed by Saaho helmer Sujeeth but things did not work out for reasons best known to the team. ‘Chiru’ subsequently roped VV Vinayak to wield the microphone for the film but the Khaidi No 150 director was asked to leave the project as Chiranjeevi was reportedly not happy with the script. He eventually zeroed in on Mohan Raja who has previously wielded the microphone for the Tamil remakes of films such as Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana and Kick. Many feel the ‘remake king’ might be the right choice for the project.

Lucifer featured actor Mohanlal in the lead role and hit the right notes with its effective presentation. The film, directed by actor Prithviraj, revolved around the events that take place following the death of a political bigwig. The magnum opus had an impressive cast that included Manju Warrier, Indrajith, Sachin Khedekar and Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi.

Mohan Raja’s version of Lucifer is unlikely to be a scene-to-scene remake of the original as certain sequences are likely to be tweaked to suit Chiranjeevi’s image. The buzz is that Nayanthara is being considered for a role in the film. This, however, is yet to be confirmed. One is likely to get clarity on the cast and plot in the coming months.

Chiranjeevi, meanwhile, is wrapping up work on his upcoming film Acharya. The biggie is being directed by Koratala Siva and has a storyline with religious undertones. It features Kajal Aggarwal as the leading lady and will mark her second collaboration with the mass hero. Acharya might hit the theatres sometime this year.