Days after speculations around actor Kajal Aggarwal’s role being removed from the upcoming Telugu film Acharya did the rounds on social media, Koratala Siva, the director Acharya revealed in an interview with ABN Entertainment, that he felt it wouldn’t be right to cast an actor of her stature in a role that does not have a clear ending.

The director revealed that they initially thought Kajal would appear in a funny role as a native from Dharmasthali (the place the film is set in). “Usually, there’s a romance between the hero and heroine. But in this film, Acharya’s character doesn’t and shouldn’t have a love interest. During the first schedule too, we had some doubts. But since in a commercial format, we always have a heroine, we shot for three to four days in the first schedule (with Kajal),” he said in the interview.

However, he added that after the shoot halted because of the pandemic, and they had time to review their work, they were hesitant about casting such a leading actor in a role that does not have a clear ending. “We couldn’t have the character just for the sake of including it as a part of the movie. When I told Chiranjeevi, he said to do what I believed and to be honest. So I explained it to Kajal, that I didn’t want to have a heroine of her stature in a character without much importance, a proper conclusion or songs. We hadn’t shot a lot at that point. When I explained this to her, she smiled and said she would be missing the film but hoped we would work together,” he said.

When asked if Kajal would be appearing in a song from the film, director Koratala Siva urged the interviewer, and audiences to watch the film once it hits the big screens, to find out. The much-anticipated action entertainer which features actors Chiranjeevi, Ram Charan and Pooja Hegde in the lead roles, is gearing up to release in theatres on April 29.

(With IANS inputs)