Director Devarnuru Chandru has been hunting for the right cast for his upcoming thriller, Gramayana. And he is leaving no stone unturned even if it means approaching actors who have been on a very long sabbatical.

While Vinay Rajkumar plays the lead, Amritha Iyer will be making her Kannada debut in the film. But the casting of Aparna, a well-known yesteryear actor, is what is bound to catch the attention of the audience. Aparna will be making her comeback after a break of 30 years. In Gramayana, she will be playing a mother’s role, which, our sources say, is the ‘soul’ of the film.

The actor, who started her career with Puttanna Kanagal’s 1984 film, Masanda Hoovu, went on to do three other films in 1989 -- Inspector Vikram, Namoora Raja, and Ondagi Balu. She later diversified her portfolio and ventured into radio and television, turning radio jockey and TV presenter. Now a popular personality on Srujan Lokesh’s comedy reality show, Majaa Talkies, Aparna is ready to face the camera for the big screen once again.

Even as the team is finalising its cast, they’ve decided to go on floors from September 18. The film’s first teaser will be out on September 6.

Bengaluru hudugi

Gramayana is produced by NLN Murthy and the production house has roped in Amritha Iyer, a Kannada girl to play the lead. The Bengaluru hudugi studied at St Joseph’s College, and was part of Kannada skits during her college days. It was during a stint in short films that she accidentally stepped into Kollywood. Having made her career debut in Tamil with Kalli, which was followed by Padaiveeran, Gramayana will be Amritha’s debut in Kannada.