Wamiqa Gabbi to star opposite Lokesh Kanagaraj in Arun Matheswaran’s gangster drama: Reports

Chennai: If sources in the industry are to be believed, actress Wamiqa Gabbi has been roped in to play the female lead opposite ace Tamil film director Lokesh Kanakaraj in his first film as a hero.

The film, which is yet to be titled, is being directed by critically acclaimed director Arun Matheeswaran.

Sources said that the Bollywood actress, who is also known for her Malayalam film 'Godha' and her Tamil film 'Malai Nerathu Mayakkam', had been roped in as the female lead for the film, which will be a gangster drama.

Shooting for the film was progressing at a brisk pace and the entire film was likely to be wrapped up by January next year, they added.

Lokesh Kanakaraj had undergone martial arts training for this film. Lokesh underwent martial arts training in Thailand for this film soon after he directed Superstar Rajinikanth's 'Coolie', which hit screens worldwide on August 14 this year.

On the direction front, Lokesh Kanakaraj will next work on 'Kaithi 2', featuring Karthi in the lead.

Interestingly, pre-production work for 'Kaithi 2' has already kickstarted. Last week, Dream Warrior Pictures, which is producing the Kaithi franchise, had fondly recalled the first instalment of the film completing six years.

Taking to its X timeline, the production house had said, "Some stories fade. Some become legends. Dilli stole our hearts—and still rules them! Six years on, #Kaithi stands tall. #6YearsOfKaithi"

Talking to media persons on the sidelines of an event, producer S R Prabhu, whose production house is producing the upcoming film, had said in May this year, "Work on 'Kaithi 2' has already begun. In fact, preparations for the shooting of 'Kaithi 2' began a month ago. Shooting will begin by the end of the year. Actor Karthi will begin shooting for his film with director Tamizh, best known for having directed the critically acclaimed cop drama Taanakaran, from next month. Once Karthi is done with that film, he will begin work on 'Kaithi 2'."

The first film in the franchise, 'Kaithi', went on to become a huge success. Director Lokesh Kanagaraj had disclosed that his inspiration for 'Kaithi', featuring actors Karthi and Naren in the lead, came from the Bruce Willis-starrer 'Die Hard'.

IANS