Anup Bhandari’s new film with Kichcha Sudeep, bankrolled by Manjunath Gowda, is getting a new actor. The team has signed up Nirup Bhandari to play an important role in the film, which is said to be titled Phantom.

Initially, the team had planned to bring on board Sudeep’s nephew, Sanchith Sanjeev. However, after a few rounds of discussions, they decided to go ahead with Nirup. Sanchith, on the other hand, is said to be making his solo debut soon. 

It may be noted that the brothers, Nirup and Anup, had previously worked together in Rangitaranga and Rajaratha.  Nirup was last seen in Aadi Lakhsmi Purana, directed by V Priya, opposite Radhika Pandit.

Shooting for Phantom is likely to start early next year after Sudeep completes shooting for Shiva Karthik's Kotigobba 3. 

The Pailwaan actor is also looking forward to the release of his Bollywood film, Dabangg 3. The film, directed by Prabhudheva and starring Salman Khan in the lead, will hit theatres in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu, on December 20.