Rohit Bhatnagar (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 8, 2018)

Vivek Oberoi, who ventured into the South film industry with the Tamil film Vivegam in 2017, is all set to mark his acting debut in Kannada now. Today, the 41-year-old actor kicks off the action-thriller Rusthum, which also marks the directorial debut of popular action director Ravi Varma.

A source close to the actor reveals, “Vivek recently kicked off prep on his Kannada debut, which is produced by Jayanna, alongside Shiva Rajkumar, who plays the lead. The gangster film is Shiva’s most lavishly-mounted project till date.” As part of his prep for the film, Vivek has learnt a bit of Kannada after having picked up Tamil for Vivegam.

The actor’s spokesperson confirmed the news, saying, “Yes, Vivek arrives in Bangalore today to begin work on the film. It is a week-long schedule that wraps up on August 15.” Rusthum features South actress Shraddha Srinath as the leading lady while Mayuri plays Shiva’s sister.

Meanwhile, the actor has also been roped in for a Malayalam film, titled Lucifer, which features South superstar Mohanlal and marks the directorial debut of actor Prithviraj.

There is also a yet-untitled Telugu film co-starring Ram Charan Teja.