Even as Animal filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga awaits the bulk dates of Prabhas for commencing the shoot for Spirit, he has decided to produce a small Telugu film in the meantime. The film reportedly stars Sumanth Prabhas as the male lead.

Reports are now coming in Sandeep is planning to lock Ananthika Sanilkumar as the female lead for the film. Ananthika, who made her Telugu debut 2 years ago with MAD, played the lead role in 8 Vasantalu, the Phanindra Narsetti directorial which released in June this year.

Venu has been signed to direct the film. The film, reportedly set against the backdrop of rural Telangana, is billed as a youthful romantic drama. Official announcement of the project is expected in coming few days. 

Sumanth Prabhas, who is a popular social media celebrity, made his Telugu debut 2 years with Mem Famous, a small-budget film that emerged as a commercial success. Sumanth's other upcoming projects include Godari Gattupaina, a rural slice-of-life drama which also features actors like Jagapathi Babu, Rajeev Kanakala, Harshavardhan, Rajkumar Kasireddy, and Viva Raghav in the ensemble cast.

On the other hand, Spirit also stars Triptii Dimri in the lead. The film was  a subject of great controversy earlier this year when Deepika Padukone reportedly walked out of the film, leading to a public outrage by Sandeep Reddy Vanga who alluded to the actor, criticising her for her unprofessional attitude. 

According to some reports, Prabhas will begin shooting for the film in January next year, post the release of his horror comedy The Raja Saab, directed by Martuthi.