Director Shankar's Ambitious Vision For 'Velpari' Cinematic Adaptation

Chennai, July 12 - Renowned filmmaker S. Shankar, once hailed as a visionary of Indian cinema, is now struggling with one of the toughest phases of his career. Following the underwhelming box office performance of his much-hyped films Indian 2 and Game Changer, the director's credibility has taken a hit, with many critics and audiences branding his creative vision as "outdated."

While there are so many challenges in front of him, he is refusing to back down and is looking to bounce back with what he calls his "dream project" — a cinematic adaptation of Veerayuga Nayagan Velpari, the bestselling historical epic novel by S. Venkatesan.



Speaking at a grand event in Chennai celebrating the novel's success — having sold over 100,000 copies — Shankar confirmed that Velpari will be his next film. He described the project as a monumental opportunity to take Indian cinema to a global level, hinting at its massive scale and technological ambition, just like Game of Thrones and Avatar.

"Velpari has everything — history, emotion, war, drama, and scope for cutting-edge technology. This can be a proud Tamil film on the global stage," Shankar said during the event, with the hope of making his dream come true.

The director plans to make it a two-part epic, though no actors or producers are officially attached yet. It is said that the project will require extensive world-building, possibly matching or exceeding the scale of Ponniyin Selvan or Baahubali. With a dream to redefine Tamil cinema's global image, Velpari could well be Shankar’s boldest—and most redeeming—move yet.



Who was Velpari?

Velpari was a legendary Tamil chieftain and one of the seven great philanthropists (Kadai Ezhu Vallalgal) of ancient Tamilakam during the Sangam era (circa 300 BCE – 300 CE). He ruled over Parambu Nadu, a lush and hilly kingdom believed to be located in parts of present-day Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

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