Legendary Bollywood actor Nana Patekar has recently made headlines by turning down a massive offer from the upcoming pan-India film SSMB29, directed by SS Rajamouli and starring Mahesh Babu.

According to reports, Nana was offered a major role in the film—playing Mahesh Babu’s father—for just 15 days of work. The deal was worth ₹20 crore, which comes to about ₹1.3 crore per day. That’s a huge amount for any actor. In fact, Rajamouli even visited Nana’s farmhouse in Pune personally to narrate the script and convince him to accept the role.

However, despite the attractive offer, Nana decided to say no. His reason? He didn’t find the role interesting or powerful enough to match his creative expectations. He believed the character lacked depth and would not satisfy him as an actor.

This was a surprising move, especially considering this would have been Nana’s first major South Indian and pan-India project in many years. Fans were excited to see the combination of Rajamouli, Mahesh Babu, and Nana Patekar, but it now seems that the team will have to look for a replacement.

Nana’s decision shows that he values strong characters over big money. It proves that he is committed to doing meaningful work, even if it means rejecting multi-crore roles. However, he hasn’t closed the door completely and may consider working with Rajamouli in the future if a better role is offered.

Now, with Nana out of the picture, the casting for this important role in SSMB29 continues, making the project even more exciting and unpredictable for fans.

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Actress Priyanka Chopra has created a strong identity in the Indian and international film industries. Coming from an army family, she started her acting career with beauty and talent. She won the Miss World title in 2000 and began her film journey with the Tamil movie Thamizhan in 2002. In 2003, she made her Bollywood debut with The Hero: Love Story of a Spy.

Priyanka acted in many successful Hindi films like Andaaz and Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, and starred alongside big heroes like Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, and Ranveer Singh. She also acted with Telugu star Ram Charan in Zanjeer. With these films, she rose to fame and became one of the top heroines in Bollywood.

 

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Surprisingly, it has been almost nine years since Priyanka had a big hit. Her last major Bollywood appearance was in Bajirao Mastani (2015) and later in The Sky is Pink (2019). Since then, she hasn’t acted in any Hindi film. Despite that, her popularity has not decreased.

After marrying American singer Nick Jonas, Priyanka moved to Los Angeles. There, she got opportunities in Hollywood and made a name for herself. She has appeared in international projects like the web series Citadel, for which she reportedly received Rs. 40 crores as remuneration.

In Bollywood, she used to charge around Rs. 21 crores per film. Now, there are reports that she is part of the upcoming pan-India film SSMB 29, directed by SS Rajamouli and starring Mahesh Babu. For this film too, she is said to be taking a huge payment.

Even without recent hits, Priyanka Chopra’s fame and demand continue to grow, proving her strong presence in the film industry.

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As 2025 moves forward, Tollywood fans may feel disappointed. Many top Telugu actors will not have any movie releases this year. While some are taking time to plan their next big films, others are busy with long production schedules. One actor who continues to release a movie every year is Natural Star Nani. But most leading stars are taking longer breaks between films. Here’s a look at some of the major actors who will be missing from the big screen in 2025:

Mahesh Babu is working with director SS Rajamouli on a massive project. However, the film is still in early stages, and no release date has been announced. Fans will likely not see Mahesh Babu in theatres in 2025 or even in 2026.

NTR (Jr. NTR) last appeared in Devara, which released during the 2024 Dasara festival. In 2025, he won’t have a new Telugu release, although War 2, a Hindi film, is expected to hit screens. His next big film, Dragon, directed by Prashanth Neel, is set for a 2026 release.

Prabhas is currently on a short break and is yet to confirm release dates for his upcoming films. Though he has movies like Spirit, Raja Saab, and Fauji lined up, there are no confirmed releases for 2025.

Ram Charan, after the disappointing performance of Game Changer, is focusing on a rural sports drama titled Peddi, directed by Buchi Babu Sana. The movie is planned for release in March 2026, meaning no new Ram Charan films this year.

Allu Arjun enjoyed massive success with Pushpa 2, which released in December 2024. He is now preparing for a film with director Atlee, but the shoot won’t begin until October. This film is expected in 2027, so Allu Arjun will also be absent in 2025 and likely 2026.

With so many top actors skipping 2025, it’s a quieter year for Telugu cinema. However, fans can look forward to some exciting releases in the years to come.

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SS Rajamouli is one of India’s top directors. From Baahubali to RRR, his films are not just blockbusters — they are cinema milestones. Many big stars dream of working with him. Some even wait for years, hoping to get a role in his movie. But recently, Rajamouli surprised everyone by revealing his admiration for a young actress. And no, it’s not one of the usual big names.

In an interview, Rajamouli shared that he is a big fan of a young actress named Annie. She played a child artist in the movie Rajanna, starring Nagarjuna. Not many people know this, but Rajanna was directed by Rajamouli’s father Vijayendra Prasad, while the action scenes were directed by Rajamouli himself.

Rajamouli praised Annie’s acting skills, especially in one emotional scene from Rajanna. He said even grown-up actors would find that scene tough, but Annie performed it with ease. He was especially impressed by how she expressed deep emotions just through her eyes — something not every actor can do.

Today, Annie is no longer a child. She has grown up and is now trying her luck in films and web series as a lead actress. She believes that with the right chance, she can prove herself again, this time as a heroine.

For a director like Rajamouli to praise a young artist is a big deal. It shows that true talent never goes unnoticed. Annie may not be a household name yet, but she’s already left a strong impression on one of India’s most respected filmmakers.

Who knows? Maybe in the future, we’ll see her again in a Rajamouli film — not as a child artist this time, but as a leading lady.

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SS Rajamouli, the director behind the global hit RRR recently shared his excitement about three upcoming films that are creating a lot of buzz in the Indian film industry. RRR, which became the highest-grossing Indian film in Japan continues to capture international attention. Recently Rajamouli visited Japan to promote the behind-the-scenes documentary of RRR titled RRR: Behind and Beyond.

During an interview in Japan, Rajamouli was asked which films he was eagerly anticipating. He mentioned three projects that he is looking forward to: Dragon, directed by Prashant Neel, Spirit, directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, and Peddi, directed by Buchi Babu Sana.

Dragon and Peddi are already in the shooting phase, while Spirit has not yet started filming. These films are already among the most-awaited movies in Indian cinema, with high expectations from fans and industry experts alike.

As for Rajamouli, he is currently working on his next project with Superstar Mahesh Babu. This film, tentatively titled SSMB 29, has already completed a few schedules in Hyderabad and Odisha. The film also stars Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran in key roles. The project is being produced by KL Narayana, with MM Keeravani composing the music.

Rajamouli’s work continues to make a significant impact on Indian cinema, and these upcoming films are sure to draw attention, just like his previous successes.