Media365
Sandeep Reddy Vanga debuted as a director with the 2017 Telugu film Arjun Reddy, a blockbuster featuring Vijay Deverakonda and Shalini Pandey in the lead roles. But did you know, that Sai Pallavi was the original choice for the female lead? The director recently himself revealed this at a pre-release event of Naga Chaitanya’s upcoming film Thandel, on Sunday.
In a video from the event doing the rounds on X (formerly Twitter), Sandeep said he found a coordinator from Kerala, who he later learnt wasn’t really one. The Animal director expressed his desire to cast Sai as the lead in his controversial romantic drama.
The coordinator asked, “What is the romantic quotient in Arjun Reddy?” Sandeep replied, “It’s more than what’s usual in Telugu cinema.” The coordinator then advised him to “forget about” casting Sai, explaining, “The girl won’t even wear sleeveless.”
Sai smiled while sitting in the audience as Sandeep said with a grin, “Eventually, heroines will change over time based on opportunities. But to see Sai Pallavi not changing at all, it’s great. It’s really great actually.” However, the internet did not appreciate Sandeep’s initial idea. One X user commented, “Worst choice iyyedi.” Another added, “Others building carriers, Sai Pallavi building a Legacy (girl face emoji).”
Sandeep’s directorial career began controversially yet successfully with Arjun Reddy, featuring Vijay Deverakonda and Shalini Pandey in lead roles. In 2019, he remade it in Hindi as Kabir Singh, starring Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani, which also became a blockbuster. Sandeep’s next project, Spirit, stars Prabhas.
