Ranveer-Shankar To Salman-Atlee: Big Bollywood-South Films Announced With Much Fanfare But Never Took Off
South-Bollywood collaborations rise with new films announced, but many big projects get shelved due to budget issues, creative differences and delays.
By ETV Bharat Entertainment Team
Published : April 25, 2026 at 4:01 PM IST
Hyderabad: The trend of South Indian directors teaming up with Bollywood superstars is once again in focus. Filmmaker Chandoo Mondeti has roped in Akshay Kumar and Rana Daggubati for his next, Salman Khan has begun shooting for a film with Vamshi Paidipally, and Atlee is reportedly set to reunite with Shah Rukh Khan for Jawan 2.
However, even as these big announcements create excitement, several such collaborations in the past have failed to take off despite being announced with much fanfare. Industry insiders say that while the idea of "pan-India" films looks promising on paper, many projects run into trouble due to budgets, creative issues and scheduling conflicts.
S Shankar & Ranveer Singh
One of the biggest projects that did not move forward was the Hindi remake of the Tamil blockbuster Anniyan (Aparichit). The film was to star Ranveer Singh and be directed by S Shankar. The remake was announced in 2021.
However, over time, reports suggested that the film faced production-related challenges. By early 2026, the project was quietly shelved. Sources also indicated that Ranveer may have stepped back as the vigilante-style story had already been widely explored in recent years.
Basil Joseph & Ranveer Singh
Another ambitious project that failed to materialise was Shaktimaan, which was to feature Ranveer Singh and be directed by Basil Joseph. The film was expected to be a big superhero project.
However, the film was eventually dropped. According to sources, there were creative differences between the actor and the director. A person close to the development told a newswire that the scale and pressure of mounting such a big-budget film created difficulties during planning.
Prasanth Varma & Ranveer Singh
Ranveer Singh also parted ways with director Prasanth Varma's film Rakshas. The film was planned as a period drama with mythological elements and was expected to be a major collaboration.
However, both sides later decided not to go ahead with the project. They stated that it was "not the ideal time for the project," even though they expressed interest in working together in the future.
Atlee & Salman Khan
A much-talked-about collaboration between Salman Khan and director Atlee also did not move forward. The project had generated strong buzz, especially after the success of Atlee’s previous Hindi film Jawan.
Speaking about the film earlier, Salman said, "I don’t think it’s happening right now. It was happening at one point in time. We tried really hard to work it out, but somehow it didn’t happen. I don’t know what exactly the reason was. I believe it was the budget of the film. It’s a very high-budget film. So now the film has been pushed."
Industry insiders believe that the high cost of production, along with casting challenges, played a major role in delaying and eventually stalling the project.
Over the last few years, collaborations between South Indian directors and Bollywood stars have increased. Many of these films are planned as large-scale "pan-India" projects aimed at audiences across languages.
While some films have worked well and brought success, many others have struggled to go beyond the announcement stage.
