After the roaring success of last year's Sivaji: The Boss and the much-hyped Robot waiting to be released later this year, superstar Rajnikanth [Images] is all set to star in Kuchelan, in which talented actor Pasupathy will don the lead role.

A remake of the Malayalam hit Katha Parayumbol by noted actor Sreenivasan, Kuchelan will be directed by popular Kollywood director P Vasu.

The Rajni-Vasu duo had earlier delivered the blockbuster Chandramukhi, which marked the star's re-entry into Tamil cinema, after the Baba debacle that saw the actor witness a dent in his otherwise unchallenged supremacy in Tamil cinema.

Speaking to PTI, Vasu said that the Kuchelan film unit would start shooting from March 7.

However, the industry grapevine has it that Rajni would play the character of Mammootty, who played the role of a popular star 'Ashok Raj' in the original film.

Pasupathy, the acclaimed actor whose role as a villain in Kamal Hassan's [Images] home production Virumaandi gained attention, would play the role of a barber, a friend of the superstar, with the story broadly based on their friendship.

Rajni's screen-presence in the film "has generated a lot of expectations," Vasu admitted. It is learnt that Rajni was very impressed with the film and especially his role. Yet, he wanted it to be Pasupathy's film, since the talent of the latter is well-known.