A film that was expected to celebrate Shankar’s legacy appears to have become a source of contention for him. His upcoming project, Indian 3, featuring Kamal Haasan, remains unfilmed and unreleased, leading to dissatisfaction among the producers, Lyca Productions. This situation threatens the release of his first Telugu film, Game Changer, in Tamil Nadu.

Game Changer Tamil release in jeopardy?

As Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, and the rest of the cast prepare for the release of Game Changer, reports from Sun News indicate that Lyca Productions has sought intervention from the Tamil Film Producers Council to prevent the film's release in the region. Their grievance asserts that Shankar should not be permitted to release Game Changer in Tamil Nadu until Indian 3 is completed.

The production of Indian 3 has encountered considerable delays since it commenced in 2019, attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic and a tragic on-set accident that resulted in a crew member's death. Although filming was concluded by 2024, it was announced that a third installment would also be produced. Certain segments of the film, which features Kajal Aggarwal, Siddharth, and Rakul Preet Singh, remain to be filmed. Meanwhile, Shankar has proceeded with the shooting of Game Changer.

A source affiliated with the Game Changer team confirmed to Hindustan Times that the film is indeed facing challenges in Tamil Nadu. However, they expressed optimism that the matter would be resolved by the evening. Lyca Productions has yet to issue an official statement regarding the situation. Indian 2 did not garner positive reviews and underperformed at the box office.

Dil Raju hopes for a comeback

Producer Dil Raju addressed the media on Monday, expressing his aspirations for Game Changer to achieve success in both Tamil Nadu and the Telugu states, in contrast to his previous bilingual film, Varisu, which was unsuccessful in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Additionally, Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s Shaakunthalam was a failure, and Vijay Deverakonda’s The Family Star also struggled commercially.

Game Changer, set to premiere in theaters on January 10, features Anjali, SJ Suryah, Sunil, Jayaram, Samuthirakani, Prakash Raj, and Srikanth in prominent roles. The story of the film has been penned by Karthik Subbaraj. It will be interesting to observe whether Raju can achieve the much-anticipated 'comeback' and if the film's release proceeds smoothly in Tamil Nadu.

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