Anthuleni Katha Daily Serial – E163 – 21st Aug

Pooja Hegde, a popular actress who dominated Tollywood (Telugu cinema) for a few years, saw her presence dwindle in 2023. Her focus shifted towards Bollywood, leading her to decline projects like “Guntur Karam” in pursuit of a leading role in Hindi films. High hopes were attached to her role in a Salman Khan movie, but unfortunately, the film underperformed. With a lack of new Bollywood projects, reports suggest a strategic shift for Pooja Hegde.

Currently, she sets her sights on a comeback in South Indian cinema. Rumors circulated about potential collaborations with Tollywood actors like Nani, Sai Tej, and Siddu Jonnalagadda. However, the latest development indicates she has secured the lead role opposite Suriya, a renowned Tamil film star. This project marks Suriya’s 44th film and will be directed by Karthik Subbaraj. Filming is scheduled to begin on June 2nd in the scenic Andaman Islands, with a 40-day production period encompassing locations like Ooty and other parts of Tamil Nadu.

This upcoming film will be Pooja Hegde’s third venture into Tamil cinema. Her previous Tamil films, “Mask” (2013) with Jeeva and “Beast” (2022) with Vijay, were not commercially successful. Therefore, the success of this new project with Suriya and Karthik Subbaraj is crucial for her South Indian comeback. The film’s music will be composed by Santosh Narayan, and Suriya’s production company, 2D Entertainments, will co-produce it alongside Stone Bench Films. Suriya is currently juggling two other projects – “Kanguva” and an upcoming film with director Sudha Kongara.