Speculation has been rife regarding a potential collaboration between Allu Arjun and Basil Joseph, particularly concerning the film Shaktimaan. However, Arun Anirudhan, the director of Athiradi, has clarified that their upcoming project is not related to Shaktimaan. He revealed in an interview with Club FM 94.3 that he and Paulson Skaria had previously worked on a screenplay for Shaktimaan, but it never progressed to production. Anirudhan emphasized that Shaktimaan was never pitched to Allu Arjun, stating, “This has no connection with Shaktimaan.” He also mentioned that Allu Arjun and Basil Joseph are in contact after Arjun expressed his admiration for Joseph's film, Minnal Murali. The film Athiradi, which stars Basil Joseph and Tovino Thomas, revolves around a spirited student attempting to revive his college's annual festival, leading to unexpected chaos. Meanwhile, Allu Arjun is busy shooting for Raaka, directed by Atlee, and has confirmed another project tentatively titled AA23, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj.