Sudeep is not the villain Ajith's Thala 57
Sudeep is not part of Ajith's forthcoming movie Thala 57.PR Handout

A section of online media had reported recently that Kiccha Sudeep would be playing the role of a baddie in Ajith's upcoming movie. But those reports are now turning out to be false.

The latest buzz is that Sudeep is not playing the villain in the film, which is presently being referred to as Thala 57. The Kannada actor was reportedly approached to play the key role. But he has reportedly turned down the offer due to his other commitments.

Kiccha Sudeep, who is gearing up for the release of his next film Mukunda Muraari, the Sandalwood remake of Bollywood flick Oh My God, is busy with his forthcoming movie Hebbuli apart from working on television reality show Bigg Boss 4 Kannada.  Apparently, these commitments made him opt out of Thala 57.

Meanwhile, the makers are reportedly in search of a suitable face despite rumours on the antagonist doing rounds every now and then. It is now said that the makers have approached some Bollywood actors, the names of which have not been revealed yet.

It may be recalled that the earlier reports had claimed the names of Arvind Swami and Prasanna to be playing the villain's role in Thala 57. Recently, it was speculated that Ajith himself would be doing dual roles, including the role of a baddie. However, the makers are yet to open up on the issue.

On the other end, the shooting of Thala 57 is briskly progressing at the Ramoji Rao Film City in Hyderabad. After completing this schedule, the film unit will fly abroad to shoot some key portions.

Thala 57 was launched in July and the team has completed an important first schedule in Europe without finding an actor to enact the villain's role. The Siruthai Siva-directorial has Kajal Aggarwal and Akshara Haasan in the female leads. The Sathyajyothi Films-bankrolled movie will release in May 2017.