Her last Telugu outing was Sri Krishna Vijayam (1971) and since then, veteran actress Hema Malini worked predominantly in Bollywood, with memorable films such as Seeta Aur Geeta, Sholay, Dream Girl, Satte Pe Satta and Baghban among others to her credit. Now, the 67 year old former dancer is set to play a mother to Telugu star Nandamuri Balakrishna, in his upcoming 100th film Gauthamiputra Satakarni. While several senior actresses were considered for the role, it looks like Malini was destined to do it.
It’s official. Hema Malini has been finalised to play Balakrishna’s mother in the film. Although she wasn’t really keen on doing the role initially, it was after reading the script that she jumped at the opportunity. She plays a very important role and the makers are taking extra care to design her look, which will be one of the highlights of the film. They’re even planning to rope in a very popular designer from Bollywood to style her.Source
Earlier this morning, the film was officially launched and its logo was unveiled. Tipped to be the unsung story of India’s greatest warrior emperor, the regular shooting of this mega budget flick will start from May. The makers, meanwhile, are busy finalising the rest of the cast including the leading lady. While sources indicate that Nayanthara might team up for the third time with Balakrishna after Simhaa and Sri Rama Rajyam, the team also has a few other options. National award-winning filmmaker Krish will direct this ambitious project which will have music by Devi Sri Prasad.
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