OMG! Shriya to romance Venky

Call it the ‘Manam’ effect, actress Shriya Saran seems to have gained that lost foothold in T-town again. Or at least that’s the indication now. The Delhi-born actress who scorched the Tollywood silver screen with her dancing and acting skills was a favourite with all the top heroes for a good part of the last decade. And now, she is all set to romance Superstar Venkatesh in ‘Deva Devam Bhaje’ (tentative title), a remake of Bollywood hit ‘Oh My God!’. Interestingly, the makers of the film have toyed with the names of Sneha, Nayantara and Radhika Apte before approaching Shriya, who made the audience sit-up with her surprising performance in ‘Manam’, for the role. She was earlier seen alongside Venky in the damp squib ‘Subhash Chandra Bose’ a decade ago.

Venkatesh being a part of the movie made it obvious that there would be some changes in the original script, and one of it was a leading lady. A source points out, “Shriya will be seen essaying the role of a manglik girl who Venky, an atheist, marries going against societal norms. In comparison to the original, where Paresh Rawal’s wife has nothing much to do, Shriya’s role is meatier and she will also get to shake a leg with Venky.”

The film, which was delayed by a considerable time, is expected to go on floors from June 2. While both Venky and Shriya will participate in the schedule from June 2, Pawan Kalyan, who will play Lord Krishna in the film, will join them from June 10. He is currently on a European holiday with wife Anna Lezhneva and daughter. Top technicians like editor Sreekar Prasad, art director Brahma Kadali and composer Sohail Sen are already on board for the project.