(L-R) Dhanush and Rajkumar Periasamy

After the critical acclaim of Amaran (2024), director Rajkumar Periasamy was all set to make his much-anticipated Hindi directorial debut. But the project has now hit a temporary roadblock. According to sources close to the development, the pan-India film — slated to roll in 2025 — has been put on hold. Backed by T-Series, the film had Kartik Aaryan and Akshaye Khanna as the frontrunners for the lead roles. However, Aaryan schedule has reportedly led to delays.

A source tells mid-day, “Kartik’s dates just don’t align anymore. He’s currently neck-deep in Naagzilla, and then will move straight to Kabir Khan’s next. There’s practically no window for Rajkumar’s film this year.”

The yet-untitled film requires “long, uninterrupted schedules”. “With actors unavailable for the foreseeable future, the team felt it was wiser to pause rather than rush or go into a recasting,” adds another source.

With his Hindi debut on hold, Periasamy is now reportedly shifting focus to a different project — a Tamil feature with South star Dhanush — before revisiting his Bollywood plans. “Rajkumar has another strong script ready and is moving ahead with that for now. The Hindi film hasn’t been shelved, it’s just delayed,” the insider tells us.