Though director Shankar or circles close to him are not ready to give any confirmation about his next project, we hear from reliable sources that the director's forthcoming film is with Vikram and Asin will play the female lead in it.

"Shankar wants to make it as a pan-Indian film in all aspects, like how he made Enthiran. Hence he wants a heroine who is popular in the south and the north. And he finds Asin as the right choice," say sources.

"There was initially an idea to cast Priyanka Chopra. But chances are bright for Asin now," they say. If this happens, this will be second time for Vikram and Asin to share the screen space together, after 'Maja' in 2005.

Writer duo Suba is said to be busy penning the Tamil version, while a popular Hindi writer will work on the Bollywood version. Remember Shankar was closely associated with late ace writer Sujatha and delivered many hits in his company.