Anushka Shetty to share screen space with Rana Daggubati in Marthanda Varma Movie?

Recent reports say that in Marthanda Varma Movie, which is an upcoming Malayalam periodic film directed by K Madhu will have Anushka Shetty in the lead female role. Earlier it was reported that Bahubali star Rana Daggubati has been roped in for the movie to play the lead role of the historical character. Rana Daggubati, who became a household name in Kerala too through SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali, is debuting in Mollywood in the titular role of K Madhu’s Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma: The King of Travancore, which will be released in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi.  If Anushka is roped in for the movie, she will be playing the role of Umminithanka. The character of Umminithanka is very strong and courageous. She is the daughter of Marthanda Varma’s uncle Rama Varma. But there is no official confirmation about this casting. But some sources close to Rana said that Rana is doing the movie. 
The pre-production work of the movie is progressing and the film will go on floors by mid-2018. The director in an interview said that “In terms of both appearance and performance, Rana is the best to play the character and that’s why we approached him. We are glad that he was happy to be part of the project, once we narrated the script.”  The movie is scripted by Robin Thirumala. K Madhu also said about casting that, “We have roped in top actors from across industries to play various parts. For instance, we can expect a leading actor from Tamil to do a pivotal role.” Scriptwriter Robin said that the prime focus of the film will be how Marthanda Varma is the first Asian king to defeat a foreign force in a war at sea. He and his armies crushed the Dutch in the Battle of Colachel in 1741. Peter Hein will choreograph the stunts for the film while Oscar winner Resul Pookutty will handle the sound department. MM Keeravani, who composed the music for Baahubali, has been roped in as music composer for the movie.