By Murtuza Iqbal
A couple of years ago, Ajay Devgn had announced that he will be teaming up with filmmaker Neeraj Pandey for a biopic on Chanakya. The film was supposed to start rolling in 2020, but due to the pandemic, it got postponed.
Now, recently while talking to Mid-day, Neeraj Pandey revealed that the shooting of the film will start by end of this year. He stated, “We will begin shooting for Chanakya towards the year-end. I hope we can start hard prep soon. We did a VFX test (on the possible looks as Chanakya) in December, and the results were fantastic.”
Pandey, who has mainly directed thrillers like A Wednesday, Special 26, Baby, and others, added “It’s an out-and-out historical drama. I have never tackled the genre before and want to take up the challenge.”
While talking about Ajay Devgn playing the role of Chanakya, the filmmaker said, “Ajay is the most natural fit for the role. He brings intensity to his characters — something that was required for this part. We also needed someone with clear (intonation) and quality of speech.”
When the filmmaker was asked if Ajay would go bald for the film, he stated, “That’s trivial. With the kind of VFX and prosthetics that we have today, it won’t be necessary.”
Meanwhile, Ajay Devgn is currently busy with the shooting of Mayday which is also being directed by him. Apart from Mayday, the actor has movies like Thank God, Maidaan, Bhuj: The Pride of India, RRR, Gangubai Kathiawadi, and Kaithi remake lined-up.
Retailers and their families enjoyed a dedicated activation zone 
