Deepika Padukone and Suriya were the original choice for '8 Vasantalu': Director Phanindra Narsetti reveals

Director Phanindra Narsetti helmed his second feature film, '8 Vasantalu', which hit theatres on June 20, 2025. The film received mixed reviews, and the director recently revealed a surprising detail about his initial casting choices.During an interview with iDream, Phanindra shared that he had initially envisioned '8 Vasantalu' with two of Indian cinema's biggest stars, Bollywood diva Deepika Padukone and Tamil star Suriya, in the lead roles. "I wanted to make the movie '8 Vasanthalu' with adults," he shared. "I wrote it keeping Suriya and Deepika Padukone in mind. That's why the dialogues are so strong." However, the final version of the film featured newcomers Ananthika Sanilkumar, Hanu Reddy, and Ravi Teja Duggirala. The shift in casting, Phanindra explained, came after a discussion with the producers. "When I took the story to the producers, they said it would be better with newcomers. They were concerned that I might face difficulties working with stars, or that the story could be altered in the process," he said. After considering their advice, the director agreed to go ahead with fresh faces.The film also features Kanna Pasunoori, Sanjana Hardageri, Mettu Nishesh, and Sumant Nitturkar in key roles.'8 Vasantalu' is an emotional movie that tells the story of a woman named Shuddi Ayodhya, portrayed by Ananthika. She plays a writer who is also skilled in martial arts, and the narrative unfolds across eight years, capturing moments of change. '8 Vasantalu' is now gearing up for its digital debut on Netflix.Speaking of Deepika Padukone's upcoming movie, he is currently working on the upcoming pan-India film, and it was recently announced joining the cast of 'AA22xA6', an ambitious sci-fi thriller directed by Atlee and starring Allu Arjun. On the other hand, Suriya was last seen in the romance action drama film, 'Retro'.