Malayalam superstar Prithviraj Sukumaran, best known among Tamil cinema audiences for his roles in Kana Kandaen, Mozhi, Ninaithale Inikkum, Raavanan, and Kaaviya Thalaivan, met with an accident during the shooting of his upcoming film Vilayath Buddha in Marayoor, Kerala, on Sunday, June 25. The actor had been filming an important action sequence when he sustained an injury on his leg and was rushed to a private hospital in Kochi. According to reports, Prithviraj will be undergoing a keyhole surgery and is expected to be under rest for the next few weeks. With news of his injury going viral on social media and fans sending in their love and wishes for a speedy recovery, an official statement is now awaited regarding his health.
Vilayath Buddha is one of the several big projects Prithviraj is currently attached to and will see the actor playing the role of a smuggler named Double Mohanan. Based on the novel of the same title written by GR Indugopan, the story revolves around two characters, Bhaskaran and Double Mohanan. While Bhaskaran is a school teacher who grows a sandalwood tree in his backyard, Double Mohanan decides to cut it down, with the plot revolving extensively around the conflict between the two characters. Initially, the late director Sachy expressed his interest to direct Vilayath Buddha, who later went on to make the critically-acclaimed smash hit, Ayyappanum Koshiyum. The film adaptation is now being directed by Jayan Nambiar based on a script written by the novel's writer GR Indugopan and screenwriter Rajesh Pinnadan.
Apart from Vilayath Buddha, Prithviraj has several promising films in his lineup starting with the highly-anticipated survival drama Aadujeevitham, which is an adaptation of the 2008 Malayalam novel of the same name by Benyamin and is directed by Blessy. The film also starring Amala Paul marks Academy Award-winning composer A. R. Rahman's big comeback to Malayalam cinema after three decades and is gearing up for a release later this year. Prithviraj will also be seen in the Telugu biggie, Salaar, starring Prabhas and Shruti Haasan under KGF fame Prashanth Neel's direction. Scheduled to open in cinemas worldwide on September 28, the mass action entertainer has the Malayalam actor playing a character named Vardharaja Mannaar who is said to be the antagonist of the film. Prithviraj, who made his Bollywood debut opposite Rani Mukerji in Aiyyaa (2012), is returning to Hindi cinema after a gap of six years and will be seen as Kabir next in Bade Miyan Chote Miyan alongside Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff under ace filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar's direction. The actor is also reuniting with iconic Malayalam actor Mohanlal and will be directing the much-awaited L2: Empuraan, the sequel to their 2019 blockbuster Lucifer.
