With the director of original Tamil flick busy, sources suggest Ajay Devgn has zeroed in on editor cousin to helm the actioner
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; April 14, 2020)

In February, Ajay Devgn had announced that he had snapped up the Hindi adaptation rights of the Tamil hit, Kaithi (2019). Revolving around a recently freed prisoner who has entrusted the responsibility to drive the cops to the nearest hospital after they are poisoned at a party, the Karthik Sivakumar-starrer is a high-octane action-thriller and right up Devgn's alley. While it was speculated that Lokesh Kanagaraj, the director of the original fare, might helm the Hindi outing, it has been heard that Devgn has turned to cousin Dharmendra Sharma for the job.

A trade source reveals, "Since Lokesh Kanagaraj is currently busy, Ajay has trusted debutant director Dharmendra Sharma with the responsibility. The actor likes to give a platform to new talent. While Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior saw Om Raut take charge, his next release, Bhuj: The Pride of India, too has a first-time director. Ajay was impressed with Dharmendra's work on Tanhaji, on which he served as an editor, and hence, decided to give him a break. He has previously worked on several of Ajay's home productions. The actor will probably make an announcement after the current situation has settled down."

mid-day reached out to Devgn, who remained unavailable for comment.