Jr NTR, in a new interview, spoke about how they got Janhvi Kapoor onboard for his upcoming film, Devara- Part 1.
After starring in Bollywood films, Janhvi Kapoor is all set to follow into her late actress-mother Sridevi’s footsteps and make her debut in Telugu cinema with Jr NTR-Koratala Siva’s upcoming action saga, Devara which will be released in two parts.
Interestingly, Janhvi’s mother Sridevi and Jr NTR’s grandfather, legendary actor NT Rama Rao were a hit pair onscreen when it comes to Telugu films. In a recent interview with Indian Express, Jr NTR opened up on Janhvi Kapoor’s casting in Devara.
The RRR star shared, “Honestly, while writing the script, we hadn’t zeroed in on anybody to play the female lead. But she was manifesting it so much, and then, Karan Johar called me and said Janhvi is a bright actor, and we should have her in the movie. Even then, the intention wasn’t there to cast her, but she manifested this so much that by the end of the writing process, we couldn’t not cast her in Devara.”
Further, Jr NTR revealed that when Janhvi Kapoor came board, she had a ‘lot of fear and tension’ within her about whether she will be able to speak her lines and deliver in Telugu, dance, and most importantly be able to live up to the legacy of her legendary actress-mother.
The actor recalled, “Let’s be honest, Sridevi garu will never leave us. And that halo will never be lifted off Janhvi too. But she just shocked us with her performance.”
Devara also features Saif Ali Khan as Bhairava, the main antagonist, and the film marks the ‘Hum Tum’ actor’s foray in Telugu film industry as well. Jr NTR shared that they cast Saif in their film because they wanted to create someone like Langda Tyagi from Omkara, adding that his character will have a strong presence in the film.
Devara-Part 1 is slated to hit the theatrical screens on September 27, 2024.
