Actor Shweta Basu Prasad made her Telugu debut with Kotha Bangaru Lokam, opposite Varun Sandesh, who was also a newcomer at the time. Released in 2008, the film became a sensational hit. Shweta went on to act in a few more Telugu films, but now, after nearly a decade away from Telugu cinema, she is making her comeback with the web film Naa Wife Missing, once again sharing screen space with Varun Sandesh.

“It’s a great comeback for me in Telugu,” said Shweta Basu Prasad at the trailer launch of Naa Wife Missing. The web film is streaming directly on Aha.

Talking about the project, Shweta said she plays Swapna in the film. “Srinivas garu first messaged me saying that he was planning a web film with Varun Sandesh and me. I thought it was spam and ignored it. Then Kavitha, the head of content at Aha, messaged me and confirmed that they were indeed planning a project with director Swathi Prakash. That’s when I connected with them. I still remember the lovely narration by Swathi,” she said.

“Swapna is such an interesting character, and there is a proper arc to her role. It’s a great comeback for me,” she added.

In a lighter vein, Shweta joked about her on-screen pairing with Varun Sandesh. “Varun and I have finally got married on screen,” she said. She went on to compare their reunion to a Hollywood trilogy, with a film arriving once every decade.

“We should do something like that too. We are back together after more than a decade, and then we should do another film in our 50s, followed by one after we have kids,” the actor said jokingly.

Shweta had high praise for director Swathi Prakash and the way she handled the project. “She is a tiger! I wouldn’t have trusted any other director to present me this way, and all the credit goes to her. She works like a crew member rather than a director who is constantly calling the shots. She coordinates with me, my manager and the other team members with great clarity. She has a clear vision of the story. Working with a confident director like Swathi gives an actor a lot of confidence,” Shweta said.

Talking about her co-star Varun Sandesh, she described him as one of her soulmates. “I think there is a theory that we have multiple soulmates, and Varun Sandesh is one of the soulmates in my life. It’s amazing to reconnect with him after so many years,” she said.

Shweta also spoke about how comfortable she felt returning to Hyderabad. “Being here in Hyderabad felt like coming home. I am very happy, and this is truly going to be a Kotha Bangaru Lokam for my career,” she said.