Makers of Sridevi biopic confirm Rakul Preet Singh their only choice to play Sridevi; actor working out dates to accommodate film
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; August 8, 2018)

In the weeks since the N T Rama Rao biopic was announced, the cast members have begun their prep on the Krish-directed venture that traces the journey of one of the most charismatic chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh. While Vidya Balan - who plays NTR's wife Basavatarakam - is taking harmonium lessons to perfect her act, Rana Daggubati met his muse Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu.

Amidst rumours that Rakul Preet Singh, Sonakshi Sinha and Shraddha Kapoor are in contention to play Sridevi — who was a frequent collaborator of NTR during his acting days — mid-day has now learnt that Singh has almost been finalised for the role.



Says a trade source, "Even though it is a small part in the biopic, Rakul is keen to play Sridevi. The makers have been in talks with her for long. Although Rakul has agreed to do the film in principle, she first needs to inform the producers of her other movies about this development. She will have to reshuffle her dates to accommodate the biopic before she can make a formal announcement about it."

Producer Vishnu Induri says that though the role is essentially a cameo — entailing a song and few scenes — one can't negate the fact that Rao was instrumental in shaping Sridevi's career. The duo had done over 14 films together. Naturally then, a biopic on the legend would be incomplete without a mention of the actor.

"We haven't approached Sonakshi, Kangana or Shraddha. Rakul Preet Singh is our only choice as she's popular in the South, especially in Telugu films. We have shot almost 30 per cent of the movie; Vidya has already shot for six days. We are working on Rakul's dates for now," says Induri.

When contacted, Singh's spokesperson confirmed that the actor has been approached for the bilingual. "Rakul would love to do the role as she's a big Sridevi fan. But she hasn't discussed the details of the film yet with the team, as she's busy shooting for four films. She needs to figure out her dates for the biopic."