He successfully introduced the immensely-talented Anirudh Ravichander to a pan-India audience with his historical blockbuster Jawan last year, and now Atlee Kumar is bringing yet another South Indian music composer to Bollywood. PeepingMoon.com has exclusively learned that he has roped in the National Award-winning music director Thaman S. for his maiden Bollywood production, referred to as VD18.

The dramatic action entertainer, starring Varun Dhawan, Keerthy Suresh, and Wamiqa Gabbi, will mark Thaman’s Bollywood debut as a solo composer, following his special two-song collaboration with Rohit Shetty in the past. The Ala Vaikunthapurramaloo composer previously contributed a title track to Golmaal Again (2017) and the theme song to Simmba (2018), both for Rohit Shetty. But except for that, he has mostly stayed out of Hindi cinema. VD18 will officially kick off his journey in Bollywood, and he's reportedly putting his best efforts into making the film stand out on the album. The details of the album are kept under wraps, but it reportedly features 4–5 songs. Thaman is also working on the background score for the film.

Moreover, PeepingMoon.com has learned that the film will officially be announced in the next couple of days. While the makers haven't locked a date yet, they plan to unveil the announcement with a massy teaser, revealing the title and release date. Contrary to media speculations, the film hasn’t been titled Lion, a name originally intended for the Shah Rukh Khan-Atlee movie before it was officially titled Jawan.

VD18 is the remake of Atlee’s 2016 Tamil action thriller, Theri, which revolves around a former police officer trying to protect his daughter from his past enemies. Varun Dhawan steps into the shoes of Tamil superstar Thalapathy Vijay, while Keerthy Suresh and Wamiqa Gabbi play the leading ladies, taking on the roles originally essayed by Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Amy Jackson, respectively. Jackie Shroff, Rajpal Yadav, and Sheeba Chaddha also feature in pivotal roles alongside Sanya Malhotra, who plays a brief but significant cameo. Produced by Priya Atlee and Murad Khetani and presented by Atlee, the Kalees-directed film is currently in production, aiming to be wrapped up by March 2024.