Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 23, 2017)

After SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali 2, Rana Daggubati has been filming two Telugu films, and is now working on a Telugu-Hindi bi-lingual show, Social, in Hyderabad. It also features Jazbaa actress Priya Banerjee and Naveen Kasturia, who became a household name with the online series Pitchers. The sibling-drama revolves around a kidnapping and the ensuing cat-and-mouse chase that brings into focus the menace of cyber-crime and how social media can put a life to risk.

Shashi Sudigala, who is wielding the microphone for the thriller series, kicked off shooting last week. The first season is expected to feature 11-12 episodes and will be filmed entirely in Hyderabad with wrapup scheduled for September-end.

“The show will be aired across South and North India simultaneously so the makers were keen to cast faces from both industries. Rana earned nationwide fame with Baahubali and Priya has appeared in multiple South films, including three Telugu projects — Kiss, Joru and Asura, so Shashi was keen to cast them,” reveals a source.

MUMBAI MIRROR (February 2, 2017)

Actors Anshuman Jha and Sanjay Suri will get together again to solve the curious case of the missing girl Mona Raheja in India’s first social media whodunit-thriller Mona_Darling. The duo was last seen in the award-winning film Chauranga last year.

When asked how and why he decided to cast these two actors in the roles of Wiki Pedia and Dean, director Shashi Sudigala, who has been an associate to Nagesh Kukunoor on Iqbal, said “Wiki is confident yet awkward. I had pitched Wiki to Anshuman in 2011 because I had loved his work in LSD--Love, Sex And Dhoka. It’s amazing that he still looks the same. He is one of the most solid young actors in the country and brings a certain amount of honesty to every character he portrays,” he said.

He added, “I saw Sanjay in Chauranga and felt that there is a lot more to explore in him as an actor. We needed a strong stable personality for the Dean and Sanjay suited the bill. They will both surprise you in Mona.”

Produced by First Ray Films & presented by Vashu Bhagnani, Mona _Darling uploads in Cinemas on February 17, the Valentine’s weekend.