Pradeep Ranganathan says 'No' to directing Rajinikanth-Kamal Haasan project; Chooses acting over direction

Filmmaker-actor Pradeep Ranganathan is surely one of the rising talents in Tamil cinema.Now the actor-director has officially denied the widespread speculation that he will direct the upcoming film featuring Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan together. The young talent clarified in a recent interview that while he feels honoured to be linked with such legendary names, he is currently not taking up any directorial commitments.“I won’t be doing that film. I’m not doing it because I’m focused on acting now,” Pradeep stated in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.The actor-filmmaker has his hands full this Diwali season as he has two of his projects 'Dude' and 'LIK' (Love Insurance Kompany) gearing up for release. “Right now, my focus is completely on acting. I want to give it my all before returning to direction again someday,” he said in the same interviewMeanwhile, the much-anticipated Rajinikanth-Kamal Haasan collaboration remains in the early stages of development. Rajinikanth recently confirmed that discussions are underway. But the 'Coolie' actor emphasized that neither the director nor the script has been finalized. Talking to the media, Rajinikanth said that he and Kamal Haasan wants to do a film together and it will surely happen if they get an apt story and role.Meanwhile, during an award event, Kamal Haasan also spilled beans on the same. He said that they don't know if the film will be a magnificent one, but it will be definitely good if the audiences like it. Kamal said, “If they’re happy, we’ll be happy too. If not, we’ll keep trying. This reunion was a long time coming. We drifted apart because we were asked to share just one biscuit, but now, even half a biscuit is enough to bring us back together.” Earlier, multiple names were speculated for the Rajini-Kamal film, but with the 'Dragon' actor's denial, the picture becomes clearer. Pradeep's previous film 'Dragon' was a superhit.