EXCLUSIVE: Allu Arjun turns down Atlee's film; Salman Khan might replace him

Bad news is coming from South India. Peepingmoon has learned from reliable sources that the most thrilling potential collaboration between Allu Arjun and Atlee Kumar has been called off. The talks between them went to the wall, cancelling what could have been a blockbuster collaboration between the Telugu superstar and Tamil filmmaker, following their massive blockbusters Pushpa: The Rise and Jawan, respectively.

Allu Arjun and Atlee were apparently discussing a pan-India action entertainer, but their conversation ended rather quickly. “They were definitely in talks, but it was at a very primary stage, and the collaboration was never finalized as was being speculated in the media. Atlee is still working on the script and hasn't locked anyone yet. It would have been great to see both of them teaming up on a massive project, but, as of now, Allu Arjun and Atlee’s film is not happening,” a source close to the filmmaker told us.

Rumours in the South Indian media suggest that Atlee’s demand of 80 crore as his remuneration fee led to the project’s cancellation. However, our sources refute these claims, calling them “baseless conjectures." The source emphasized that Atlee and Allu Arjun share mutual respect, and the project fell through simply because it did not align with each other’s preferences. The film has no production timeline fixed yet, but it's expected to get off the ground in the first quarter of next year — depending on the lead actor's availability. Atlee has now approached Salman Khan for this film, but the discussions with him are also at the very initial stage at this moment."

Initially, Atlee and Allu Arjun were supposed to collaborate on Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan. The director had approached him for an important cameo role, but he turned down the offer as he was preoccupied with shooting Pushpa 2: The Rule. The role was eventually played by Sanjay Dutt, who added significant flair to the plot and won the hearts of fans.

Atlee's next film is highly anticipated, especially after delivering Bollywood’s biggest box office blockbuster of all time with Jawan, which has solidified his reputation as a most-in-demand commercial filmmaker in India. Allu Arjun, meanwhile, is currently finishing the shooting for Pushpa 2: The Rule and was supposed to begin Atlee's film right after its release. However, with their film now shelved, what would be Allu’s next project remains a mystery. Stay tuned to Peepingmoon for many more exciting breaking news stories this week.