Deepika Padukone's Raaka and Atlee's Oscar Dream
Deepika Padukone's Raaka and Atlee's Oscar hopes: what is reported about the film, the director's comments and what has not been confirmed.
Director Atlee has said he is aiming for an Oscar with Raaka, the film he is making with Allu Arjun and Deepika Padukone. He made the remark at the success meet of Vijay Sethupathi's Baththa in Chennai, News18 reported on Oct. 5. The film is not due until late next year, so this is ambition and not an announcement of any award run.
What Atlee said
According to News18, asked whether Raaka would win an Oscar, Atlee replied, "Someone somewhere said that if you win an Oscar, you've achieved in life. That thought has ingrained itself in the public mindset. My wish is to see if I can achieve that. That's my small dream. I am giving it my all to achieve that."
He added, "If you all support me, I will reach that milestone. When I stand on that stage, I will talk in Tamil." He also said, "We can actually achieve that dream, I promise." India Today and other outlets carried the same remarks, according to search listings that we did not open in full.
What is known about Raaka
News18 says the film is reportedly mounted on a budget of over Rs 700 crore and produced by Sun Pictures. It cites a Deccan Chronicle report that the makers are eyeing a release around December 2027, and says shooting may wrap by the end of 2026. Earlier rumours suggested a two-hero film, but the actor's team later clarified that Allu Arjun will play dual roles, News18 reports. A special announcement video welcoming Deepika came earlier this year, it adds.
The outlet says reports suggest Mrunal Thakur, Rashmika Mandanna and Janhvi Kapoor will play pivotal characters. A Cinejosh item has Aishwarya Lekshmi speaking about her presence in the film, and a search summary of it says she denied being involved. We have treated both cast claims as unconfirmed.
Deepika's other film
Search coverage of her filmography lists King, the Shah Rukh Khan film, as releasing on Dec. 24, 2026. Our earlier reporting on King said its makers had held that date, and we are not repeating further detail here.
How to read the Oscar talk
A director voicing an Oscar aim at a press event is not evidence of a campaign. Oscar eligibility depends on release, submission and campaigning, none of which exists yet for a film scheduled for December 2027. The statement is best read as a statement of intent, and the reports present it that way.
Why it matters for Deepika
Raaka is described as a large international-scale project, and Deepika's casting was the subject of a welcome video. The coverage does not describe her character, and we have not guessed at it.
What we could not confirm
We could not confirm Raaka's budget, which is reported as over Rs 700 crore without a named source for the figure. We could not confirm the release date, which comes from a Deccan Chronicle report relayed by News18. We could not confirm the supporting cast. We could not confirm any official statement from Deepika Padukone about Raaka. We did not see the video of Atlee's speech and relied on News18's quotations.
Sources
*Cover photo: Verghese TK, Wikimedia Commons, *[*https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Deepika_Padukone_at_Kalki_2898_AD_pre_release_event_in_Mumbai_%282%29.jpg*](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Deepika_Padukone_at_Kalki_2898_AD_pre_release_event_in_Mumbai_%282%29.jpg)* (CC BY-SA 4.0).*