Filmmaker R Chandru was keen to cast a heroine with pan-India appeal for his upcoming directorial, Kabzaa. The director, who has roped in Shriya Saran to play the female lead, picked Women’s Day to make the announcement.

“Since Kabzaa is a multilingual film, we were looking for a pan-India face, someone who has made a name across multiple languages. After much thought, we signed Shriya, who is the perfect choice for the role. She has made a name for herself in multiple languages and has worked with some of the top heroes like Rajinikanth, Nandamuri Balakrishna, and Ajay Devgn. She will now be working with Upendra for the first time,” says R Chandru. The film brings together Upendra and Kichcha Sudeep once again after the Kannada movie, Mukunda Murari.

The film, a gangster drama, is set between 1940 and 1980 and will feature Shriya as the queen of the underworld don, played by Upendra. She will sport a retro look reflecting that era. The ensemble cast also includes Jagapathi Babu, Rahul Dev, Anup Revanna, Kabir Duhan Singh, Danish Akhtar Saifi and Kota Srinivasa Rao, among others.

Shriya will begin shooting for Kabzaa today with Upendra and other cast members. “Kabzaa is being made on a big canvas, and we have been working on the project over the last three years. The film is in its last phase of shooting and will be completed after a 30-day schedule,” the director said. Kabzaa's music is scored by Ravi Basrur with cinematography by A J Shetty.

The pan-India film presented by MTB Nagaraj is produced by R Chandru under the banner of Shri Siddheshwara Enterprises.