Pooja Hegde was the first choice for Thalapathy66: Dil Raju

Ace producer Dil Raju is producing Vijay’s 66th movie, which went on the floors recently in Chennai. Director Vamshi Paidipally and Dil Raju first suggested that Pooja Hegde suits the female lead role in the movie. When the idea was pitched, Vijay said that she is a thorough professional. After all, Vijay has already worked with the ‘Radhe Shyam’ actress on ‘Beast’ and so he knows. However, despite the unanimous preference for Pooja, she couldn’t be roped in due to issues with her dates.

“I know how professional Pooja is, having worked with her twice previously. But a big star like Vijay sir saying it is a great thing. As soon as the director says a shot is ready, Pooja is right in front of the camera, delivering her part with full energy,” Dil Raju said in a recent interview. 

Rashmika Mandanna was roped in after Pooja expressed her inability to do the Telugu-Tamil bilingual. 

Pooja awaits the release of ‘Beast’ on April 13 and ‘Acharya’ on April 29. Both are big movies and the ‘Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo’ diva has well-written roles for her, apparently.