Here is why Kajal Aggarwal’s character was removed from Chiranjeevi’s Acharya, director Koratala Siva reveals

Filmmaker Koratala Siva has clarified why actor Kajal Aggarwal’s character has been removed from his movie Acharya. The actor shot a few scenes for the film over the course of a few days in the first schedule two years ago. In an interview, ahead of the release of the movie, Siva revealed that Kajal’s character had to be removed because there wasn’t enough scope for performance and he felt he wasn’t doing justice to a heroine of her stature. Also Read: Kajal Aggarwal, Gautam Kitchlu welcome baby boy; check out his cute name

Kajal was signed opposite Chiranjeevi in the movie. She was brought in as a replacement for Trisha, who was originally roped in for the character. Trisha exited the project following some creative differences.

In an interview with ABN Telugu, Siva was asked about removing Kajal’s character from the movie. He said, “When we signed Kajal, she was to play Acharya’s (Chiranjeevi) love interest. It was a funny character and we even planned to shoot a song featuring the pair. We shot with Kajal for 3-4 days in the first schedule before the first lockdown of the pandemic. During the pandemic, when I saw rushes of what we shot, I wasn’t sure if Kajal’s character would be essential to the story.”

He said that he didn’t want to do injustice to a heroine of her stature. “After seeing the rushes, I felt there wasn’t enough scope for Kajal’s character. Felt I was letting down a heroine of her stature with this kind of character. I conveyed the same to Kajal and she smiled and said, ‘I hope we get to work again’,” he added.

Acharya is about a middle-aged Naxalite-turned-social reformer who launches a fight against the Endowments Department over misappropriation and embezzlement of temple funds and donations. The film will release on April 29.

This will be the first time Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan will be seen together in full-length roles. Chiranjeevi had played a cameo in Ram Charan’s Telugu film Bruce Lee: The Fighter a few years ago.

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