Saif Ali Khan to play demonic villain Lankesh in Prabhas-starrer Adipurush

Saif Ali Khan and Om Raut set to reunite in Adipurush after the star’s much-acclaimed screen-outing in the filmmaker’s hit directorial Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior

Early last month (August 18) it was announced that Prabhas will be starring in Om Raut’s mythological saga Adipurush. There was also buzz that Saif Ali Khan will be playing the antagonist to the South star in this epic 3D extravaganza that is being bankrolled by T-Series. The makers have now confirmed that the versatile Bollywood star will indeed be playing the menacing and brutal demonic villain Lankesh.

The film will see Saif reunite with his Tanhaji director Om Raut, who is helming the period screen chronicle. Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior that hit the screens early this year became the highest-grossing film of 2020, raking in a whopping Rs 250 crore at the box-office. Saif Ali Khan’s portrayal of Tanaji Malusare’s (played by Ajay Devgn) arch-nemesis, Udaybhan Singh Rathore, received much acclaim from critics, audience and industry. With Adipurush, which is an on-screen adaptation of the Indian epic that revolves around the triumph of good over evil, Saif will yet again be stepping into the role of a larger-than-life villain, this time of even bigger epic proportions. The film will also see the coming together of Saif, Raut and producer Bhushan Kumar after Tanhaji.

Om Raut and Saif Ali Khan on the sets of Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior

Besides his villainous act in Tanhaji, Saif Ali Khan has proven his mettle in essaying grey characters to perfection on screen earlier as well. The actor had won accolades and awards as Langda Tyagi, an antagonist from Indian heartland, in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Omkara and he had also garnered much praise for his act as suave criminal in Sriram Raghavan’s Ek Hasina Thi.

Saif Ali Khan in stills from Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, Omkara and Ek Hasina Thi

As for Adipurush, the magnum opus will be a bilingual, shot in Hindi and Telugu and will have a pan-India release with its dubbed versions in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada. It will also be dubbed in several other foreign languages for a global release. The film – produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Om Raut, Prasad Sutar and Rajesh Nair – is currently in the pre-production stage and is expected to go on floors in 2021 and hit the marquee with a massive release in 2022.

 

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