As the biopic of legendary music composer Ilaiyaraaja faces delays due to financial constraints, Tamil filmmaker Arun Matheswaran is turning his focus towards Bollywood. The ‘Captain Miller’ director is gearing up for his Hindi cinema debut, and reportedly Akshay Kumar might headline the film. Although the project is still in the scripting stage, PeepingMoon.com has reliably learned that the makers have initiated negotiations with the actor. Akshay is said to have verbally agreed and is expected to formally sign on the dotted line after a full script narration, scheduled around June or July. The film is a content-driven commercial action thriller tailored to appeal to all Indian audiences.

Arun Matheswaran has built a strong reputation in the Tamil film industry with his distinctive storytelling and directorial style. He is popularly known for directing Dhanush’s 2024 period action adventure, ‘Captain Miller’. Prior to that, he helmed the critically acclaimed 2021 neo-noir action film ‘Rocky’ and Keerthy Suresh's 2022 crime drama ‘Saani Kaayidham.’ His debut Hindi directorial is believed to retain the gritty, intense narrative style he is known for but on a larger scale, with a narrative designed to resonate across India.

Akshay’s casting does not come as a surprise, given that the film is being produced by Sarita Ashwin Varde, the wife of Akshay's regular collaborator Ashwin Varde. Sarita has previously produced web shows like ‘Broken But Beautiful’ and ‘Never Kiss Your Best Friend’ under Roaring River Productions and is now venturing into theatrical film productions. Akshay and Sarita are eyeing another collaboration even as they are already working on ‘Bhagam Bhaag 2.’

Akshay is expected to begin shooting for Arun Matheswaran after completing his current commitments. At present, he is busy with Priyadarshan's horror-comedy, ‘Bhoot Bangla’, and will soon move on to the final schedule of ‘Welcome to the Jungle’. Following this, he will commence shooting for ‘Fukrey’ director Mrigdeep Singh Lamba’s comedy-drama before reuniting with Priyadarshan again for the most-anticipated ‘Hera Pheri 3’ that begins shooting in December 2025.

On the release front, Akshay will next be seen in Dharma Productions' Kesari Chapter 2', slated to hit cinemas on April 18. This will be followed by Sajid Nadiadwala’s ‘Housefull 5’ on June 6, and Subhash Kapoor's much-awaited 'Jolly LLB 3' sometime in the second half of 2025.