Sandeep Reddy Vanga reveals why Sai Pallavi lost Dr Preethi’s role in Arjun Reddy, says, “She will not even wear sleeveless”

Sandeep Reddy Vanga is one of the most promising directors and known for his vocal nature. He recently appeared as chief guest at Thandel pre-release event starring Sai Pallavi and Naga Chaitanya. During the event, Sandeep Reddy Vanga praised Sai Pallavi and recalled how she was the first choice for Arjun Reddy. He also shared how he was advised against it as she won’t even wear sleeveless and the film was raw and gritty.

Sandeep Reddy Vanga on shortlisting Sai Pallavi for Arjun Reddy

During the event, Vanga revealed approaching Sai Pallavi for Arjun Reddy but how her coordinator turned down. He recalled, “So I spoke to him, saying, ‘I have a story about a guy who is destroyed in love, it’s a very romantic story, and I want to cast Sai Pallavi as the heroine. The coordinator then asked, “What is the romantic quotient in Arjun Reddy?” Vanga responded, “It’s more than what we usually see in Telugu cinema. He said, ‘Sir, forget about it. The girl will not even wear sleeveless. Forget about it. Let alone doing such romantic scenes in the film. That’s how I ended up zeroing out Sai Pallavi.” As Sai smiled, sitting in the audience, Sandeep continued with a grin, “Eventually, heroines will change over the period of time, based on opportunities. But to see Sai Pallavi not changing at all, it’s great. It’s really great actually.”

#SandeepReddyVanga Wanted to Cast #SaiPallavi for #ArjunReddy

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— 𝐁𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐚 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐬 (@BheeshmaTalks) February 2, 2025

She also applauded Vanga’s filmmaking, saying, “Every director should have a voice, and Sandeep Reddy Vanga has such a voice and being unfiltered on and off-screen without being influenced by many other things.”

About Arjun Reddy

Talking about Vanga, his directorial debut Arjun Reddy was blockbuster. It starred Vijay Deverakonda and Shalini Pandey in lead roles. It was later adapted into Hindi in 2019 by Sandeep as Kabir Singh, starring Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani. That film also turned out to be a blockbuster. He last year wreaked havoc with Animal starring Ranbir Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna. Sandeep is next directing Spirit with Prabhas.

Thandel, starring Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi, is directed by Chandoo Mondeti. It is set to release in theatres on February 7. On the work front, Sai Pallavi is reported to make her Bollywood debut with Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana co-starring Ranbir Kapoor. She will play the role of Sita in the film.

Also Read: Ramayan’s Laxman aka Sunil Lahri doubts the audience accepting Ranbir Kapoor as Ram after Animal; disapproves Sai Pallavi as Sita