Hirani puts Sanjay Dutt biopic on back burner for Madhavan

Rajkumar Hirani’s last release, PK (2014) — which was not just his directorial venture, but also the first film to release under his banner — set cash registers ringing at the box office. Riding high on the film’s success, he has now shifted his attention to his second production Saala Khadoos. And in order to concentrate on this film, he has put all his other projects on hold, including the highly anticipated biopic on Sanjay Dutt.

Hirani's Saala Khadoos is an upcoming bilingual sport drama featuring R. Madhavan. The Tamil version is titled Irudhi Suttru and both the films are being written and directed by Sudha Kongara Prasad. Madhavan plays a boxing coach in the movie.

A source says, "Raju has put everything else on hold, including the biopic, to concentrate on his next. It is a bilingual sports drama, starring R Madhavan in the role of a boxing coach. In fact, he had even attached the teaser of this film with PK."

Meanwhile, Hirani wants to back emerging talent through his production house. The source says, "Raju wants his next, which will be directed by a debutant director, to get its due. He wants to focus on marketing the film well. He has been conducting extensive meetings to discuss the publicity strategies. In fact, Raju has been keeping a tab on all the activities that have been scheduled for the film. So, until it releases, he won’t take up any other work."

When contacted, Hirani confirmed the news.