MUMBAI: Actor Saif Ali Khan has joined director Om Raut's "Adipurush" and will be seen in the film as the prime antagonist.
Backed by Bhushan Kumar's T-Series, the multilingual period saga is an onscreen adaptation of the Indian epic Ramayana and features "Baahubali" star Prabhas as Lord Ram.
"Adipurush", will see Khan play Lankesh and marks his second collaboration with Raut after the hit "Tanhaji".
"I'm thrilled to be working with Omi dada again! He has a grand vision and the technical knowledge to really pull it off. He has taken me beyond the cutting edge of our cinema in the way he shot 'Tanhaji' and this time he is taking us all further! "It's a phenomenal project and I'm super thrilled to be a part of it! I look forward to clashing swords with the mighty Prabhas and to play a role that is electrifying and demonic," Khan said in a statement.
Raut said they needed a brilliant actor to play "the strongest villain from our epic."
"Who better than Saif Ali Khan, one of the greatest actors of our lifetime, to essay this powerful role. Personally, I enjoy every day at work with him. I am looking forward to this exciting journey with him all over again," the director said.
To be shot in Hindi and Telugu, "Adipurush" will be dubbed in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and several other foreign languages.
The film is currently in the pre-production stage and is expected to go on floors in 2021 with a planned 2022 release.