We earlier reported that Kollywood actor Suriya would make his Bollywood debut with the magnum opus Karna under the direction of National Award-winning director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, known for films like Rang De Basanti and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.
Excel Entertainments, headed by Farhan Akhtar, initially came on board to fund this project, but the production house has now backed out since Mehra quoted a jaw-dropping budget of Rs. 600 crores. Later, there were rumors that the project had been shelved.
According to an exclusive report in Peeping Moon, Mehra didn’t give up on the project. He is said to have pitched Karna to Jio Studios and Applause Entertainment and held a meeting with Junglee Pictures as well. The director is reportedly optimistic about finalizing a production deal within the next few months, with a target to commence filming in early 2026.
The report mentioned, “The revival process is not without hurdles. The primary obstacle still remains the staggering budget of Rs. 600 crore for a two-part cinematic adaptation. One studio has asked Mehra to reevaluate the budget. At the same time, another studio suggested a prominent Bollywood star as Karna to bolster its market appeal following concerns about Tamil superstar Suriya leading a North India-centric mythology film.”
Mehra has been working on Karna for over five years. He has conducted extensive research along with screenwriter Anand Neelakandan to craft a compelling screenplay that wholly captures the life of Karna. Initially Janhvi Kapoor and Vijay Verma also joined the cast, but due to delays their inclusion now remains doubtful.