Ramesh Thamilmani wrote India's first-ever AR-integrated graphic novel, 'Atharva – The Origin,' in which Dhoni played the superhero.
Published Oct 25, 2022 | 12:15 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 25, 2022 | 12:17 PM
MS Dhoni's production house Dhoni Entertainment will produce films in all South Indian languages. (Supplied)
Cricketer and former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his wife Sakshi are all set to make their foray into Kollywood.
Their first Tamil full-length film will be helmed by director-music composer Ramesh Thamilmani, the celebrity couple’s production house, Dhoni Entertainment Private Limited, said in a media statement.
The statement, though did not provide any detail on the cast or crew, has put to rest the speculation that Dhoni would produce a multi-starrer with Vijay Thalapathy, Prince Mahesh Babu and Nayanthara.
Ramesh said the project would be a fun-filled family entertainer and that Sakshi had put forth the concept.
In May this year, Ramesh authored India’s first-ever Augmented Reality-integrated graphic novel, Atharva — The Origin. The novel is available on Amazon.
Dhoni played the titular role of Atharva (a superhero) in the novel. Ramesh said it was an attempt “to create India’s first mythological superhero”.
Legendary cricketer @msdhoni & his wife @SaakshiSRawat‘s production house @DhoniLtd will produce its 1st feature film in Tamil! Conceptualised by Sakshi herself, the Tamil film will be a family entertainer that is to be directed by @ramesharchi@HasijaVikas @PriyanshuChopra pic.twitter.com/TQ8AIpC16m
— Yuvraaj (@proyuvraaj) October 24, 2022
Dhoni had released the motion poster of Atharva was on his Facebook page. Actor Rajinikanth launched the first copy of the graphic novel in the presence of producer Vincent Adaikalaraj, known for his Tamil horror-comedy movie, Meow (2017).
Vikas Hasija, Business Head of Dhoni Entertainment said: “As more Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada films are equally celebrated in the North, Dhoni Entertainment does not want to limit itself as a single-language production house.”
“Our priority is to reach our Indian audience in every nook and corner of our country, through meaningful stories. Though our first film will be originally made in Tamil, it will be released in multiple languages.”
Be among the first few to read this new age graphic novel which is going to be the first of many more to come, from India!
Order your copy of Atharva – The Origin from Amazon. ? https://t.co/6zCwaeakLb pic.twitter.com/VKY34LrMVD
— AtharvaTheOrigin (@AtharvaOrigin) May 17, 2022
Creative Head Priyanshu Chopra asserted that “films with rooted stories always win hearts and we aim to make such realistic films with a universal appeal.”
The company produced three small-budget films. Roar of the Lion about the return of Chennai Super Kings to IPL after a two-year ban. Blaze to Glory is a sports documentary film that chronicles the historic World Cup 2011 win and The Hidden Hindu is based on a mythological thriller by author Akshat Gupta.
Wo(men)’s Day Out, also from Dhoni’s stable, is a short film that creates awareness about cancer.
