If top industry sources are to be believed, Shankar will work with Rajnikanth in Robot, which was planned to be shot with Shah Rukh Khan in the lead and as producer. But the project apparently did not work out owing to 'creative differences', with Shah Rukh himself confirming the separation. Later, it was reported that Shankar approached Aamir Khan [Images] for the role.

Though the film's thread is not confirmed, the name 'Robot' and widely-speculated media reports suggest the story is about a maverick scientist who creates a robot and later runs into trouble with his pet creation.

When the movie does hit the screen, Shankar, known for his expertise in state-of-the-art film-making technique, could thrill filmgoers, especially Rajnikanth fans wordwide. Film buffs and Rajnikanth fans say if the duo team up again, it could be "explosive".

Sources say a top production house in Mumbai will produce the film, in what could be the most expensive film ever made in India. If Sivaji was shot for a whopping Rs 80 crore (Rs 800 million), the new film is expected to cost more than Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion).

According to sources, Shankar has held discussions with the Mumbai production house, which has shown a keen interest in the film with Rajnikanth, the highest-paid actor in the country.

Interestingly, a search on 'Robot-Shanker-film' throws up many actors' names as the heroes of this dream project -- the latest being Ajith of Billa fame in the lead.

When official confirmation comes that Rajnikanth will star in the Shankar film, remember you read it on rediff.com first!