The makers of Chiranjeevi's 150th movie "Kathilantodu" seem to be having a tough time in finalising the heroine of the film. They have approached many big names so far from the South Indian film industries as well as from Bollywood but none of them has given their consent yet.
Rumours are rife that a host of Bollywood actresses, including Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif and Parineeti Chopra, were approached to play the female lead role in "Kathilantodu." But they have all turned down the offer due to their other commitments. Also approached was Anushka Shetty, who is busy with the "Baahubali" sequel, but she too rejected the Telugu movie citing the same reason.
The names of Kajal Aggarwal and Nayanthara were also doing the rounds for the part. However, the makers are still in the hunt for a suitable heroine for "Kathilantodu" and they want it to finalise it at the earliest so that their shooting plans are not affected.
"Kathilantodu" is being directed by VV Vinayak, who had earlier directed Chiranjeevi in "Tagore" that was a remake of the Tamil movie "Ramana". The forthcoming film, being produced by the megastar's son, Ram Charan Teja, is a remake of the blockbuster Tamil movie, "Kaththi." Devi Sri Prasad, R Rathnavelu and Gowtham Raju have been signed up to handle the music, cinematography and editing departments, respectively.
Incidentally, both "Ramana" and "Kaththi" were directed by AR Murugadoss, who is currently looking forward to directing a film starring Mahesh Babu. However, in the new version, "Kathilantodu" is likely to undergo some minor changes in the story.
"Kathilantodu" is the comeback movie of Chiranjeevi after a gap of eight years. The Telugu star had quit acting after entering politics.
"Kaththi" starred Ilayathalapathy Vijay, Samantha and Neil Nitin Mukesh in lead roles.The story of the Tamil movie showcases the plight of farmers and the powerful nexus of media, politicians and businessmen. How a petty thief takes on the powerful establishment forms the crux of the story.
A Hindi version of the film, whose name has not been revealed yet, is also being made with Akshay Kumar in the lead role.