Amrita Rao's sister makes Telugu debut

Get your low down on what's happening in the world of Telugu cinema, right here!

Preetika Rao, sister of Hindi actress Amrita Rao, made an impressive debut in the Tamil film Chikku Bukku directed by Manikandan. Despite the presence of Arya and Shriya, Preetika held her own thus earning the accolades and compliments for her performance.

Preetika has now signed an untitled Telugu film with Varun Sandesh to be directed by debutant Sravan, M S Raju's associate. 

The film -- a love story and a family entertainer -- produced under the banner UK Avenues, is scheduled to begin shoot in March.

"I was being offered Telugu movies since standard 10, but I'm glad I chose to complete my education first and then get into the profession. The Telugu movie with Varun Sandesh of Happy Days fame came to me at the right time since my debut Tamil movie Chikku Bukku with Arya had just released and won me fans from the Tamil audiences all across the globe who connected with me on Facebook and appreciated my work. Now I'm glad I have an opportunity to connect with the Telugu audiences as well!" says Preetika.  

"I met Varun in Hyderabad for a photo shoot and our pairing looks great together. He was born and raised in Canada and has this "next gen" appeal to him. Also the script is from the girl's point of view, so the role is equivalent to the guy's. I'm really looking forward to this one!" she adds. 

Nagarjuna Akkineni has always been open to new ideas and thoughts (remember Shiva and Gitanjali?) 

Well, his recent film Gaganam (an edge-of-the- seat thriller sans songs and heroines) is doing well and Nag has certainly taken a step forward in doing such kinds of films after a while. The superstar is currently shooting Rajanna, a 'period' film.

Nagarjuna has just begun a socio-fantasy called Dhamarukam, a film with a lot of computer generated graphics. Produced by RR Moviemakers and directed by Srinivas Reddy, the posters of Dhamarukam evoke curiosity given the imagery. Anushka is paired opposite Nagarjuna in Dhamarukam.

Naga Chaitanya, Nagarjuna's son is also treading the 'hatke' path having signed Devakatta's new (his third) film, Autonagar Surya.

Devakatta won critical acclaim and accolades for both his films -- Vennela and Prasthanam. The film is being presented by RR Moviemakers and produced by K Achi Reddy on Max India.

It is the tale of a person set against the backdrop of trade unions in Vijayawada.

Devakatta will be directing Prasthanam in Tamil after he finishes with Autonagar Surya.