Did You Know Anushka Shetty wasn’t the initial choice for 'Arundhati'?

Anushka Shetty starrer Arundhati was one of the most successful films of 2009 and went on to become the highest-grossing Telugu film of the year. Also, Shetty was one of the most sought after actors in the industry after her performance as Jejamma. However, it was later revealed that Anushka was not director Kodi Rameshwara’s first choice to play the role. Read further ahead to know more about the story:

Also Read: Anushka Shetty Shares Glimpses From 'Nagavalli' To Celebrate The Film's 10th Anniversary

Did You Know Anushka Shetty wasn’t the initial choice for Arundhati?

Directed by Kodi Ramakrishna, Arundhati was the turning point of Anushka Shetty’s career. The horror drama had Shetty playing the role of a queen and became a massive hit in the southern region of India. Following the movie, Anushka was one of the most looked up to actor for both Tamil and Telugu films. The cast of the movie also had Sonu Sood, Sayaji Shinde and Arjan Bajwa.

Anushka was apt for the role and her performance was critically acclaimed. However, according to IMDb trivia, it was revealed that Anushka wasn’t the first choice of the makers when the project commenced. Lakshmi Manchu was in Kodi’s mind initially, but she denied playing it and hence Shetty was roped in.

Also Read: Anushka Shetty Goes On A Boat Ride To Perform Puja At A Temple In West Godavari

About Arundhati

Arundhati was a fantasy drama horror flick released in 2009, with Kodi Ramakrishna at the helm, story written by Chintapalli Ramana and creative direction by Rahul Nambiar. The film was bankrolled by Shyam Prasad Reddy with Sonu Sood as Pashupati, Arjan Bajwa as Rahul, Sayaji Shinde as Anwar, Manorama as Chandramama, and Kaikala Satyanarayana as Bhupathi Chander in pivotal roles alongside Anushka Shetty.

Its background score was composed by Koti, with KK Senthil Kumar leading the cinematography and Marthand K Venkatesh editing it. The movie hit theatres on January 16, 2009, becoming a commercial success as well as the highest-grossing Telugu film of the year and was later dubbed into Malayalam.

On the work front, Anushka Shetty was last seen in the Telugu movie Nishabdam opposite Madhavan in the role of Sakshi. In 2019, she was seen in the movies Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy. The actor is also popular for playing Devasena in the Bahubali franchise. 

Also Read: 'Rendu' Marks R Madhavan And Reema Sen's Second Collaboration; Read Trivia

Also Read: 'Nishabdam' Actor Anushka Shetty Denies Playing Sita In Prabhas Starrer 'Adipurush'