WHOA! Nani Grabs It From Dulquer Salmaan

Nani has reportedly replaced Malayalam star Dulquer Salmaan in Mani Ratnam's yet untitled Tamil-Telugu bilingual, which also features Karthi in the lead role.

"Earlier this week, Nani met Mani Ratnam at his office here and signed on the dotted line. He is said to have replaced Dulquer who, with two Malayalam films in his kitty, couldn't find dates to allocate for this project," a source from the film's unit revealed.

Initially, Dulquer and Karthi were confirmed for the project, which was slated to go on the floors in December.

However, it was a couple of weeks ago that Ratnam decided to delay the project as he planned to make it a bilingual.

"Dulquer had set aside dates for Mani sir's film in December. But following the postponement of the project, he had no other option than walking out as he was getting offers from Malayalam filmdom," the source said.

Apparently, Nani, who largely idolizes Mani Ratnam grabbed the opportunity without a second thought. Previously, he dubbed for Dulquer for Mani Ratnam's OK Bangaram, just out of love for Mani.

The film, which is said to be a revenge drama, also features Nithya Menon and Keerthy Suresh.

The source also added that Ratnam is on the lookout for a co-producer for the film's Telugu version, due to which the project is getting delayed.