Real-life father-in-law and daughter-in-law – Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan – are likely to star in director Mani Ratnam’s next. Reports speculate that the filmmaker approached these two superstars and want them on screen for the adaptation of Ponniyin Selvan. The film will be a period drama, much like what SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali was.

The film will include the biggest celebrities of the Southern industry and is likely to be a bilingual. It is said that Aishwarya has signed the contract but Amitabh is yet to do the same. The film might be released in three-installments.

An announcement is likely to be made next week regarding this magnum opus.

Ponniyin Selvan is a historical novel by Kalki Krishnamurthy, written in Tamil. In five volumes, or about 2400 pages, it tells the story of Arulmozhivarman, who later became the Chola king Rajaraja Chola I).

There have been several attempts to create film adaptations of Ponniyin Selvan, beginning with an attempt in 1958 by MG Ramachandran. He cast several of the roles such as Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan and Kundavai, but later dropped the project for unstated reasons. Similarly, Mani Ratnam had attempted to film a complete adaptation of the book for a 2012 release, but had to shelve the project due issues with the potential budget for the film and difficulty locating financiers to back the project.

Mani Ratnam’s last film – Chekka Chivantha Vaanam – released last year having a cast of various stars. The film was declared a hit, with several people enjoying this un-Mani Ratnam film.