This year will see many releases and some of them are going to be the launch pads for these gen-next stars. Let’s take a look at a host of youngsters, who are gearing up to capture the attention and gain a foothold in the world of glamour.
The Dorasani pair
Anand Sai Deverakonda, brother of Tollywood heartthrob Vijay Deverakonda, is the most exciting debutant to watch out for this year. After making a splash on social media sporting the fancy Rowdy lungi with his brother, Anand is following Vijay’s footsteps and will be launched by producers Madhura Sreedhar Reddy and Yash Rangineni with their period love story, Dorasani. Although it remains to be seen if Anand can match up to his brother and actor Vijay in a role that many would hesitate to accept in their debut film, his producer Madhura Sreedhar Reddy is confident of his success. “Anand is a quick learner and a brilliant performer. He has played his part to perfection and is a very instinctive actor who likes to follow the director’s vision completely.
I can confidently say that he is the Dhanush of Telugu cinema,” says Sreedhar. Set in the 1980s, the rustic love story also marks the debut of actor Dr Rajasekhar and filmmaker Jeevitha’s younger daughter Shivatmika. “She is a sincere actor and carries a lot of energy on the sets. I would say she is another Sai Pallavi in the making. Having strongly rooted in films and exposed to the showbiz for a long time, Anand and Shivatmika have nurtured their passion really well and are hard working by nature. Our director KVR Mahendra has organised workshop before the actual shoot of the film and they understood the emotions of their characters quite well. I’m confident that Dorasani will become a cult love story in Telugu cinema and it feels glad to introduce them through our banner,” adds Sreedhar Reddy. The shooting of Dorasani has been wrapped up and the post-production is underway. The first look will be unveiled on May 21 followed by the teaser launch by the month end. The film will release in July.
Shiva Kandukuri
Producer Raj Kandukuri, who made National-award winning rom-com Pelli Choopulu, is introducing his son Shiva Kandukuri with a love story directed by Sesha Sindhu Rao. Speaking about his son’s launch, Raj says, “Shiva completed dual major engineering and holds a degree in business economics. During his seven-year stay in the US, he was trained in acting and was into theatre. He worked hard and still attends workshops in the city to attain perfection in his diction. His debut film has been completed and the dubbing formalities are underway. We are planning a July release.” Raj wants to see his son be recognised as a good actor. “I want to see him as an actor for all seasons, playing characters that will make an impression in spite of the length of the roles. Ten years down the line, I like to see him as a versatile actor who handles his profession well. Hero, villain, character roles...I want him to do them all and leave an indelible mark as a true all-rounder of acting like Nawazuddin Siddiqui,” says Raj.
Bharath
Bharath needs no introduction. Even before he has grown up as an actor, he never failed to impress the audience with his impeccable comedy timing as a child actor. His notable performances in Venky, Pokiri, Ready and Bindaas among others have won the hearts and made him one of the prominent child actors of that time. In Eedu Gold Ehe (2017), he played a servant to actor Naresh Vijaya Krishna. After a two-year hiatus, he has now returned to films to play one of the leads in ABCD: American Born Confused Desi, the Telugu remake of Malayalam film of the same name. He will be seen as Allu Sirish’s cousin from New York, who was forced into poverty by his uncle only to rebuild their lives from scratch. The film is releasing on May 17.
Shivani Rajasekhar
Shivani is making the right moves by following her parents’ footsteps. Recently, she took the social media by storm with her stunning pictures from a photoshoot. The medicine student has turned an actor with a romantic drama titled 2 States. A remake of Bollywood film of the same name, Shivani is reprising Alia Bhatt’s role in this film also starring Adivi Sesh. “I fell in love with cinema at a really young age and I used to accompany my parents to the sets. It feels amazing to live my dream. I play a challenging role and I thank my filmmakers for offering me this character. Sesh is my close friend and it’s a great feeling to share screen space with him. I’m pursuing medicine and although it’s difficult, I’m still trying to balance education and work,” said Shivani during her recent interaction.