Telugu superstar Nani’s much-awaited film, The Paradise, recently made headlines with reports that the release might be pushed due to pending work on the climax and in post-production. However, Nani’s co-star Sonali Kulkarni, exclusively spoke to HT City and clarified that the film will release as per schedule on September 24, 2026: “Yes, it is our promise. We have also announced it on our social media. We are not delaying the release, and we are releasing on the 24th.”
About what caused the delay, the National Award-winning actor is quick to mention that the delay was only because the director wanted to put the best version out there for the audience to watch. “All I can say is credit to my director’s vision. Srikanth is very particular about the details. The delay was because he wanted to entertain the audience with complete conviction. He didn’t want to compromise on anything. But we are releasing on the 24th, finally,” she explained.
Sharing the screen space with Nani, Kulkarni, 51, is in awe of how humble the actor is. “It was a joy working with Nani. He is a team member. He never treated himself like a superstar. He is not from a filmy background, but he has been an assistant director, and I felt that I was seeing a replica. I am a unit person on set. We bonded on many things. He is a director’s actor. He is humble and carries no weight about his stardom,” said an elated Kulkarni.
The growing anticipation for the film has fans and netizens drawing many parallels between Kulkarni’s character and Ramya Krishnan’s character as Sivagami in S.S. Rajamouli’s Baahubali series. Dismissing any commonality, Kulkarni mentioned that this is an absolutely fresh character. “I wish I could tell you a lot more, but you will not be able to compare my character with anybody. This is something you have never seen before... Not necessarily a mother, because nobody called me a mother on the set,” shared the Dil Chahta Hai (2001) actor.
{{/usCountry}}The growing anticipation for the film has fans and netizens drawing many parallels between Kulkarni’s character and Ramya Krishnan’s character as Sivagami in S.S. Rajamouli’s Baahubali series. Dismissing any commonality, Kulkarni mentioned that this is an absolutely fresh character. “I wish I could tell you a lot more, but you will not be able to compare my character with anybody. This is something you have never seen before... Not necessarily a mother, because nobody called me a mother on the set,” shared the Dil Chahta Hai (2001) actor.
{{/usCountry}}Besides, the actor also exclusively shared an update on yet another Bollywood release. Directed by Madhur Bhandarkar, Kulkarni will also be seen in The Wives of Bollywood. There have been no formal updates on the film’s release yet; however, Kulkarni shared that the Madhur Bhandarkar directorial will hit the theatres this year. “A fortnight back I saw the trailer, and in their language, it is kick-ass (laughs). It should come in 2026 for sure,” she ended.