It's official - Akkineni Nagarjuna has joined the star cast of Dhanush's tentatively titled D51, under Sekhar Kammula's direction. The big announcement was made on the occasion of the Telugu superstar's birthday on Tuesday, August 29, by the film's production Sree Venkateswara Cinemas LLP. In an announcement about Nagarjuna's casting in D51 coming out in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi languages, producers Narayan Das Narang and Puskur Ram Mohan Rao wrote, "We needed a powerhouse for our pan-Indian project with Dhanush and Sekhar Kammula, and who better than our very own 'King'. WISHING #KingNagarjuna A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! We are extremely excited to work with you once again! Can't wait to get this show on the road!"
A POWERHOUSE addition to the POWERFUL PROJECT 🔥
Wishing KING @iamnagarjuna Garu a very Happy Birthday ❤️
Delighted and honoured to have you on board ❤️🔥@dhanushkraja @iamRashmika @sekharkammula @AsianSuniel @puskurrammohan @SVCLLP @amigoscreation @UrsVamsiShekar pic.twitter.com/uiUEf5tgkU— Sree Venkateswara Cinemas LLP (@SVCLLP) August 29, 2023
Tamil cinema fans will be getting to witness Nagarjuna once again in action and this time alongside Dhanush after he last shared the screen with Karthi in Tamil in Thozha (2016), which also came out in Telugu under the title Oopiri, and went on to become a success in both languages. The Telugu actor has garnered a big fan following in Tamil Nadu over the years after his Geethanjali (1989) directed by ace filmmaker Mani Ratnam fetched him immense popularity, who was then seen in Ratchagan (1997) and Payanam (2011), including making a guest appearance in Inji Iduppazhagi (2015). Nagarjuna's inclusion in D51 is the next big casting after national sensation Rashmika Mandanna, and it will be interesting to see him in action alongside Dhanush on the big screen.
D51 is touted to be a period film set in the 1980s-90s after the film's announcement poster showed a bunch of rupee notes from the time stacked together. The film is one of the several big projects in Dhanush's lineup starting with the highly-anticipated Captain Miller scheduled to release in theatres on December 15. The two-time National Award-winning actor also has the tentatively titled D50, which is his second directorial after Pa Paandi (2017). The film being produced by Sun Pictures is their second collaboration after the blockbuster success of Thiruchitrambalam (2022). Likewise, Dhanush has untitled projects with Mari Selvaraj and Arun Matheswaran making it a reunion for the actor with the filmmakers after Karnan (2021) and the upcoming Captain Miller. The Tamil star will also be joining hands with director Aanand L. Rai for the Hindi film, Tere Ishk Mein, and this is their third collaboration after Raanjhanaa (2013) and Atrangi Re (2021).
