But now we hear Madhavan's serious knee problem has put the project back by at least three months.
According to a source Madhavan is the first and final choice for the elder brother's role.
"The producers were keen to get the Shah Rukh Khan–Shahid bhai-bhai jodion board. However the director Lingusamy is keen on Madhavan who played the elder brother in the original. But Madhavan is off to Chicago to get his knee injury looked into. "
As things stand the makers of the Hindi remake insist on waiting for Maddy.
We caught the actor just as he was getting ready to leave for Chicago. Maddy admitted that the director was keen on casting him in the Hindi remake of Vetaai.
"Lingusamy has been very insistent that I reprise my role from Vetaai. He is willing to wait for me. It's very sweet of him. But I don't know if that's a good idea.
I am off for a 3-month physiotherapy session at the Edwards physio-centre in Chicago. I don't know which way my knee is going to go after three months. Vetaai requires many action sequences.
Unless I am certain that my knee can take the stress I won't do any action scenes. So it'a best if they find some other actor to play Shahid Kapoor's brother. "
However we hear Lingusamy won't hear of replacing Mdahavan. He would rather wait it out.
Says our source, "In his mind the director has finalized Maddy and Shahid as the brothers. The two heroines would be decided only after Maddy returns from his physiotherapy in Chicago. "