Chiranjeevi's fans and trade pundits are eagerly awaiting the release of the much-hyped "Shankar Dada M.B.B.S." after several major releases have bombed this year.

"It is designed to suit the tastes of my fans," said Chiranjeevi.

Chiranjeevi's fans are hoping this re-make of the Hindi hit, "Munnabhai M.B.B.S." would help the numero uno of the Telugu screen to score a hat-trick of blockbusters after "Indra" and "Tagore".

"My role has a few negative shades but, basically, the film is a big entertainer," said the actor who did a role with similar shades in "Donga Mogudu".

"We have added well-mounted songs and good action to make it a winner," said Chiranjeevi, encouraged by the big success of the Tamil version "Vasoolraja".

Srikanth is on cloud nine for having bagged the role of Chiranjeevi's friend in the film. "I enjoyed every bit of it and I learnt a lot from my favourite actor," said Srikanth.

Sonali Bendre plays Chiranjeevi's childhood love.

Bollywood actor Paresh Rawal plays the role of the dean. Earlier, Paresh had endeared himself to the Telugu audience with his performance in "Kshanam Kshanam" and "Money".

Director Jayanth hopes that the film would also fetch "critical acclaim" apart from "enthralling fans and audiences".

The film's lilting music by young composer Devisri Prasad is a major draw.

Said Prasad: "I have been a great fan of Chiranjeevi and I couldn't believe myself when I got this golden offer."

Producers Gemini Film Circuit, who own Telugu television channel Gemini Network, are confident the film would be a success.