Is Rajinikanth's next film a remake of Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai?

Rajinikanth seems to be ready to turn a don again. Yes, the Tamil superstar is reportedly playing a good-hearted gangster in Pa Ranjith's upcoming flick. The film is bankrolled by Rajini's son-in-law and actor Dhanush.

The buzz is that the story of the untitled film is set in Mumbai. The film tells the story of late Mumbai-based Tamil don Mirza Haji Mastan. He was considered to be a messiah of Tamils in the commercial capital of India in 80s.

Mirza Haji Mastan stood for Tamils cause and he gained financial stability with smuggling business. He also ventured into real estate business and was also a film financier. The don was a street-smart, whose unique traits earned him the tag of 'style king' among Muslim youths those days.

He used to sport white clothes, drove white Mercedes and smoke foreign cigars. Mirza Haji Mastan hobnobbed with Bollywood celebrities and politicians in parties.

Bollywood film Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai was also inspired by Mirza Haji Mastan's life. Ajay Devgn had played the lead role along with Emraan Hashmi, who was seen in the role of Shoiab Khan, based on Dawood Ibrahim's character. However, it is believed that Rajini's flick is not a remake of the Bollywood film and the Tamil film narrates other aspects of the gangster.

The shooting of the film will commence in May, and the cast and crew are yet to be revealed. Currently, the Tamil superstar is busy with Shankar's 2.0 aka Enthiran 2, which will hit the screens during the Deepavali festival.

It may be recalled that Rajinikanth has played gangster roles in many films and his title role in Baasha remains a feather in his cap.