14 May 2022
Hyderabad

Malayalam actress Honey Rose Varghese and Naveen Chandra are the latest additions to Nandamuri Balakrishna’s next with Gopichand Malineni. With Balayya playing dual roles in the emotional action-drama—of father and a son— Honey is paired opposite the father. Shruti Haasan is cast opposite the younger Balayya and her portions will be shot in the US most likely later this month in a 20-day schedule.

The as-yet-untitled project, a Mythri Movie Makers production, marks Honey making a comeback to Telugu cinema after 2014 romantic drama Ee Varsham Sakshiga, which was headlined by Varun Sandesh. A well-known name in Malayalam, Honey has a substantial part in Balayya’s film. “She will be seen as Balayya’s emotional anchor as he battles with people who are close to him,” says a source close to the unit.

On the other hand, we hear that Naveen too has a pivotal role and in the context of the narrative, it is his role that changes everything. “In terms of importance, this role of Naveen carries more weight than what he played in Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava,” adds the source.

The project has been shot in Siricilla, surroundings of Hyderabad, RFC and Maheshwaram so far, completing 40 percent of the shoot. With the US leg of filming, Malineni is looking at wrapping up close to 70 percent of the film. Leading artisans like Thaman (music) and Rishi Punjabi (cinematography) are working on the film, which has dialogue by Sai Madhav Burra. The supporting cast is stacked up with the likes of Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Duniya Vijay, Lal, Murali Sharma and Easwari Rao.

-NAGARAJ GOUD