The rumour mill around an Allu Arjun and Basil Joseph collaboration has been spinning for months. Now, for the first time, someone directly connected to Basil has stepped in to set the record straight — and the answer is both a denial and a tease rolled into one.
What Did the Athiradi Director Actually Say?
Speaking to Club FM 94.3, Arun Anirudhan — director of the recently released Basil Joseph film Athiradi and co-writer of Minnal Murali alongside Paulson Skaria — confirmed that the Allu Arjun project and Shaktimaan are two completely separate things.
He revealed that he and Paulson Skaria were involved in writing the screenplay for what was intended to be Basil Joseph’s next directorial — a project called Shaktimaan, which he described as “a massive film.” However, the project never went into production, and Anirudhan himself expressed uncertainty about its future, saying it is “quite complicated.”
On the Allu Arjun connection, he clarified: the two never pitched Shaktimaan to the Pushpa star. Allu Arjun and Basil simply struck a personal rapport — the Pushpa actor had watched Minnal Murali, loved it, and the two have been in touch since. Basil’s presence at Allu Sirish’s wedding was the result of that relationship, not a signing announcement.
The director’s clear words: the upcoming Allu Arjun–Basil Joseph film has no connection to Shaktimaan, and all official updates will be shared soon.
The Full Picture: Allu Arjun’s Packed Pipeline
While details of the Basil Joseph project remain under wraps, Allu Arjun’s near-term schedule is anything but empty.
| Project | Director | Co-Lead | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raaka | Atlee | Deepika Padukone | Filming |
| AA23 (LK07) | Lokesh Kanagaraj | TBA | Pre-production |
| Basil Joseph Film | Basil Joseph | TBA | Unannounced |
Raaka, his current production with Atlee, is being described as a magnum opus with a “parallel universe” concept and is widely expected to be one of the biggest Telugu releases of the coming years. After that, the Lokesh Kanagaraj-directed AA23 is already confirmed, with pre-production reportedly underway.
The Basil Joseph collaboration, if and when it materialises, would slot in as yet another marquee project in one of Indian cinema’s most stacked actor pipelines.
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Why This Collaboration Has Everyone Talking
Basil Joseph is one of the most exciting directorial voices to emerge from Malayalam cinema in recent years. Minnal Murali — India’s first superhero film with a genuine mass appeal — proved he could blend spectacle with heart at a pan-India scale. Pairing that creative DNA with Allu Arjun’s screen presence would be a genuine cross-industry event, not just another collaboration.
That Allu Arjun personally reached out after watching Minnal Murali says something about how that film landed — even among the industry’s biggest stars
Athiradi, directed by Arun Anirudhan and starring Basil Joseph alongside Tovino Thomas, centres on a Gen-Z student trying to revive his college’s annual fest — only for chaos to erupt when the event’s chief guest is kidnapped by a former don-turned-musician. The film also features Riya Shibu, Vineeth Sreenivasan, and Zarin Shihab in key roles.
