There are very few lady oriented films that have created a sensation in Tollywood. At one point, actors like Vijayashanti and Soundarya paved the way for such films. But then came a long break for such films. Bridging the gap released Anushka Shetty starrer Arundhati, an exceptional blockbuster hit, a truly lady oriented movie of recent times. The period horror flick went on to receive several accolades. The film was also remade in Bengali in 2014 with the same name.
Not only Anushka’s but Tollywood’s fame grew multifold with Arundhati. Released on January16, 2009 the film turns 13, let us recollect those fond memories.
Anushka Shetty Celebrates 13 Years Of Arundhati
Anushka Shetty is regarded as a superstar in Tamil and Telugu films. She stood in headlines with Kodi Ramakrishna’s directorial Arundhati, which was a massive hit. Anushka Shetty was able to change the trend single-handedly with the movie. The film was also released in Tamil to win acclaim from the critics. The actress took to Twitter to remember her iconic role. She shared a valorous still of her character in the film. She wrote, “13Years for Arundhati..#Jejamma – A character once in a lifetime for any actress and I am truly blessed.Thanks to Kodi Rama Krishna garu, Shyam Prasad Reddy garu and whole team..Very big thank u to all lovely audience for their support & this movie always close to my heart (sic).”
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This is how Arundhati began
Inspired by films like Chandramukhi and Exorcist, prominent Tollywood producer Shyam Prasad Reddy also craved to make such a film. He was determined not to compromise at all in making this film. At the same time, he wants it to be close to the family audience. Arundhati’s record of receiving the most Nandi Awards remains still intact.
This Mallu Beauty Slipped The Jejamma Role
Needless to say, Arundhati is a milestone for Anushka’s career. The film changed her career as if it was before Arundhati and after Arundhati. However, Anushka was not the first choice for Jejamma’s character. The story goes back to Kerala beauty Mamata Mohandas. She was at the beginning of her career and let go of the golden opportunity with her misjudgement. Mamata herself revealed that she rejected Arundhati as she was unable to make correct choices then.
Jejamma Competed With Iron Man
The Iron Man suit was known as the heaviest costume until then. But competing with IronMan, Anushka as Jejamma wears jewelry weighing 22 kilos for a scene in Arundhati. Her action sequences also created a buzz at that time.
Not Sonu Sood, But HE Was The First Choice For Pasupathi
The horror fantasy flick featured Sonu Sood as Pasupathi, the antagonist. This is such a powerful character that weighs equally with Jejamma in Arundhati. In fact, the movie team initially wanted to rope in Tamil actor Pasupathi for the role first. But impressed with Sonu’s performance in Jr NTR’s Ashok, producer Shyam Prasad Reddy gave him this chance, which he proved and perfectly justified the villain role. On the other hand, for another key role played by Sayaji Shinde, movie makers approached Bollywood actors like Nana Patekar, Naziruddin Shah and Atul Kulkarni for the role.
Arundhati was produced by Shyam Prasad Reddy in association with Mallemala Entertainment. Apart from Anushka and Sonu Sood, the film also featured Deepak, Sayaji Shinde, senior actors Manorama and Kaikala Satyanarayana. Music was composed by Koti.
On the work front, Anushka Shetty’s last big screen project was Telugu-Tamil bilingual Bhaagamathie in 2018. After that Sweety also shared screen space with R Madhavan in Hemant Madhukar’s Nishabdham, co-produced by Kona Venkat in 2020, released on Amazon Prime.
Also Read: Naveen Polishetty In Anushka Shetty’s Next Film
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