Keerthy Suresh was not the original choice to play Savitri in Mahanati
Samantha Akkineni was the original choice for Mahanati. However, director Nag Ashwin later decided to cast a fresh face and that’s how Keerthy Suresh walked in.
The upcoming Telugu biopic on the legendary actor Savitri called Mahanati has been gathering steam ever since it was announced earlier this year. Keerthy Suresh, who plays the lead role, has been in limelight since. Now, it has come to light that she was not the first choice for the role. Another popular face Samantha Akkineni, who recently got married to Naga Chaitanya, was the original choice, reports The News Minute.
However, director Nag Ashwin later felt that a fresh face would suit the role better. Hence, he picked Keerthy over Samantha. Reportedly, Samantha took the decision very sportingly and agreed to play the role of a journalist named Jamuna instead. Apparently, the story unfolds from her perspective.
Mahanati stars many big names -- Dulquer Salmaan plays Gemini Ganesan, who married Savitri. The film also features Mohan Babu as SV Ranga Rao, Vijay Devarakonda and Shalini Pandey (both starred in hit Telugu film Arjun Reddy) and Prakash Raj as writer, producer and director Aluri Chakrapani. The film is called Nadgayar Thilagam in Tamil.
A leading actor, who worked in all the four south Indian languages, Savitri married Gemini Ganesan. She had two children with him, but died of substance abuse at the age of 47.
Follow @htshowbiz for more
Get more updates from Bollywood, Hollywood, Music and Web Series along with Latest Entertainment News at Hindustan Times.