Is Allu Arjun's much-awaited film with Basil Joseph based on the superhero Shaktimaan? Team clarifies

For years now, there has been talk of Malayalam director Basil Joseph adapting Shaktimaan to the silver screen. Here's what his team says.

Ever since Malayalam filmmaker-actor Basil Joseph’s 2021 Tovino Thomas superhero film Minnal Murali became a rage across the country, there has been talk of him adapting the Mukesh Khanna-led 90s TV show Shaktimaan to the silver screen. After Ranveer Singh’s name was rumoured to be attached to the project, there was recently speculation that Basil pitched the script to Allu Arjun. Here's some clarity.

Allu Arjun is the latest star who was rumoured to play Shaktimaan.

Is Allu Arjun’s film with Basil Joseph Shaktimaan?

On Club FM 94.3, director Arun Anirudhan, who helmed Tovino and Basil’s recent release Athiradi, spoke about working on Shaktimaan with the filmmaker-actor. “Paulson (Skaria) and I were writing the screenplay for Basil’s next directorial. Unfortunately, it did not go on floors. It was supposed to be a massive film, Shaktimaan. I do not know whether it will happen or not; it is quite complicated,” he said.

When asked if Basil was invited to Arjun’s brother Allu Sirish’s wedding due to their collaboration, Arun said, “Allu Arjun invited him. He has seen Minnal Murali, he liked it, and they are in touch.” However, when asked if the yet-to-be-announced project they’re working on is Shaktimaan, the director said, “No, no. This has no connection to Shaktimaan. That is something different, and all updates will be shared soon.”

Recently, Basil also played coy when asked about his film with Arjun and whether it would be the Pushpa star’s 25th film. He told Cineulagam, “Let it just happen.” He also said, “No, bro,” when asked if it was Shaktimaan. When pressed to reveal more, he claimed he can’t talk about it at the moment because it’s a ‘process’filled with ‘uncertainty’. The filmmaker-actor said he will speak about it when the time is right.

Chatter about Shaktimaan in the past

Mukesh, who was vocal in opposing Ranveer playing Shaktimaan, posted a video in December 2024, claiming that Arjun would be a better fit for the superhero role. Though he claimed to have left the final decision to the producers, he said, “I am not committing to anything, but I think he (Arjun) can be Shaktimaan. He has good looks and height, but they (Pushpa makers) have turned him into a villain. But he would suit the role of Shaktimaan.”

In September last year, Anurag Kashyap also spoke about the project with Chalchitra Talks. He said, “I asked him (Basil), how do you do it? You acted in Ponman, directed Minnal Murali. He told me, I wasted two years of my life trying to do Shaktimaan.”

He also claimed that Basil told him stories of the egos he had to battle in Bollywood. “God, how do you survive in that industry (Bollywood)? He just exactly said what I feel here. I said I can’t, that’s why I moved away. That man wasted two years here. He was telling stories of people’s egos while laughing. He said, what kind of industry is that?” said Anurag.