Pooja Hegde to star opposite Ram Charan in 'Acharya', shooting to start this week

Koratala Siva’s Chiranjeevi Konidela and Kajal Aggarwal starrer Acharya is one of the most-awaited films from Tollywood. Chiranjeevi and son Ram Charan are sharing space for the first time on screen in Acharya in a full-fledged role. The film’s shooting is currently in progress in Hyderabad, with Ram Charan also joining it to shoot for his key role in the film.

According to the latest update, Pooja Hegde has been signed opposite Ram Charan in the upcoming film. She will be teaming up with Ram Charan for the first time, and is expected to join the sets this week. According to sources, Pooja has reportedly charged Rs 1 crore for the film and she will be seen as a woman from a rural background.

The film's teaser was released recently featuring Chiranjeevi in a deadly avatar. The teaser looks extremely massy and opens with an extravagant temple town set and the celebrated actor enthralls the fans with its high voltage action sequence. Along with the stunts, Chiranjeevi's dialogues, the powerful background score by Mani Sharma and some amazing shots by DOP Tirru have garnered huge appreciation from the fans. 

 

Notably, not even a glimpse of other key characters was shown in the teaser of the film. According to reports, the film is based on a temple scam and the makers have erected a massive temple town set for the film on about 20 acres. 

 

The film also stars Ram Charan in a cameo appearance and he will for the first time be seen sharing screen space with his dad Chiranjeevi and he plays a character called Sidha in the film. Talking about the same, Ram Charan said in a statement, "It will be an absolute honour for me to be able to share the same frame as my father. Also, it is not a cameo but a full-fledged role for me. I want to thank director Koratala Siva for making this happen."

The film was supposed to mark Trisha Krishnan's return to Telugu cinema but she opted out due to creative differences. She was replaced by Kajal Aggarwal in the film. The film has been jointly bankrolled by Ram Charan under his banner Konidela Production Company in association with Niranjan Reddy's Matinee Entertainment. It has been made with a budget of Rs 140 crore. Mani Sharma is scoring the music. The film is slated for an all-India release in the summer of 2021.

Pooja Hegde, who was last seen on screen in Allu Arjun’s Ala Vaikuntapuramloo, has two projects in her kitty, Prabhas starrer Radhe Shyam and Akhil starrer Most Eligible Bachelor. It is also reported Pooja is all set to make a big comeback in Tamil cinema with Vijay’s next project, currently dubbed Thalapathy 65. 

 

Reliable sources have confirmed that Pooja has been signed as the leading lady in the film which will be directed by Nelson Dilli Kumar of Kolamavu Kokila fame and produced by Sun Pictures. Pooja, who made her acting debut with Mysskin’s Mugamoodi, is returning to the industry after eight years.