Kollywood
Director Shankar's Ambitious Vision For 'Velpari' Cinematic Adaptation
Chennai, July 12 - Renowned filmmaker S. Shankar, once hailed as a visionary of Indian cinema, is now struggling with one of the toughest phases of his career. Following the underwhelming box office performance of his much-hyped films Indian 2 and Game Changer, the director's credibility has taken a hit, with many critics and audiences branding his creative vision as "outdated." ## While there are so many challenges in front of him, he is refusing to back down and is looking to bounce back with what he calls his "dream project" — a cinematic adaptation of Veerayuga Nayagan Velpari, the bestselling historical epic novel by S. Venkatesan. ## Speaking at a grand event in Chennai celebrating the novel's success — having sold over 100,000 copies — Shankar confirmed that Velpari will be his next film. He described the project as a monumental opportunity to take Indian cinema to a global level, hinting at its massive scale and technological ambition, just like Game of Thrones and Avatar. ## "Velpari has everything — history, emotion, war, drama, and scope for cutting-edge technology. This can be a proud Tamil film on the global stage," Shankar said during the event, with the hope of making his dream come true. ## The director plans to make it a two-part epic, though no actors or producers are officially attached yet. It is said that the project will require extensive world-building, possibly matching or exceeding the scale of Ponniyin Selvan or Baahubali. With a dream to redefine Tamil cinema's global image, Velpari could well be Shankar’s boldest—and most redeeming—move yet. ## Who was Velpari? ## Velpari was a legendary Tamil chieftain and one of the seven great philanthropists (Kadai Ezhu Vallalgal) of ancient Tamilakam during the Sangam era (circa 300 BCE – 300 CE). He ruled over Parambu Nadu, a lush and hilly kingdom believed to be located in parts of present-day Tamil Nadu and Kerala. ## Stay tuned...
