The cameo in Chiranjeevi’s upcoming film Acharya has become a game of musical chairs. With Ram Charan being the original choice, the role went to Mahesh Babu after attempts to cast the former turned futile owing to his commitment for Rajamouli’s RRR.
According to a well-placed source, the film went back to Charan after the makers of Acharya are against the idea to endorse the demand of Mahesh, who quoted a whopping Rs 30 crore for a 30-day call sheet.
"The team is in no mood to dance to the tunes of Mahesh and have offered him Rs 15 crore to play the part. While the makers didn’t get a favourable response from the Sarileru Neekevvaru actor, so in came Charan to play the role of a naxalite," says an insider close to the development.
Directed by Koratala Siva, the film deals with a socially relevant subject and has Regina Cassandra in a spcial number. The film’s shooting is currently underway in RFC and the makers are planning to release Acharya on August 14.
(The writer can be contacted at muralikrishna.db@newindianexpress.com)
Twitter: @onlymurali