Actress Tamannaah Bhatia has joined the cast of the upcoming biographical drama V. Shantaram, which stars Siddhant Chaturvedi in the titular role, production banner Camera Take Films said on Tuesday.

“Jayashree - The star of an era. The strength behind a legacy. A chapter returning to history,” the makers wrote on Instagram alongside Bhatia’s first-look poster from the film.

The 35-year-old actress essays the role of Jayashree in the film, who was the second wife of legendary filmmaker V. Shantaram.

Written and directed by Abhijeet Shirish Deshpande, V. Shantaram follows Shantaram’s extraordinary journey from the silent era to the introduction of sound and colour.

Shantaram (born Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre, 1901) founded two production banners — Prabhat Film Company (1929) and Rajkamal Kalamandir (1942). He also directed the first Marathi talkie Ayodhyecha Raja (1932).

Renowned for classics like Duniya Na Mane (1937), Do Aankhen Barah Haath (1957), Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1955), and Navrang (1959), his films combined technical innovation with socially progressive themes. He was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1985.

Shantaram married actress Jayashree in 1941. Jayashree and Shantaram had three children together — son Kiran Shantaram and daughters Rajshree and Tejashree Shantaram. The pair had worked together in several films, including Shakuntala (1942). They divorced in 1956.

Presented by Rajkamal Entertainment, Camera Take Films and Roaring Rivers Productions, V. Shantaram is produced by Rahul Kiran Shantaram, Subhash Kale and Sarita Ashwin Varde.