Devara director Koratala Siva: Janhvi belongs to the South | Exclusive

Devara director Koratala Siva recently opened up about casting Janhvi Kapoor in the film, her chemistry with Jr NTR and more in an exclusive interaction with India Today.

In Short

• Devara director praised Janhvi Kapoor's South debut
• The filmmaker dismissed the North-South film industry divide
• Siva shared that Janhvi's role would expand in Devara: Part 2

Devara: Part 1 director Koratala Siva is riding a wave of success after the release of the Jr NTR-starrer. The film also stars actor Janhvi Kapoor in a lead role. The movie marks Janhvi's debut in the South film industry. Her mother Sridevi’s legacy in South films is well-known. In a recent chat with India Today, the filmmaker spoke about his decision to cast Janhvi in the film and lightly remarked that Janhvi "belongs to the South."

When asked about choosing Janhvi, who is primarily seen as a Hindi film actor, Siva said, “I don't believe in this North and South thing. We people here believe that Janhvi belongs to the South. Because people here believe that Sridevi ma'am is (one of) our own. So, for us, even here in villages, people feel that Janhvi is their own daughter. And we have been waiting for her for a long time. And we strongly believe that Jr NTR and Janhvi make a very good pair.”

When asked about not giving Janhvi enough screen time in the first movie, he added, “She can bring a lot of freshness into the film and have multiple dimensions in her character, which will be unfolded in part two. There is a lot of drama for her and surprising twists and turns that can happen with her character. So you will have to wait and watch part 2 to see more of Janhvi.”

Koratala Siva also added that he’s going on a break before resuming shoot for part 2, “I have been very grateful for the love the audience has shown for part 1. Now I plan to pack my bags and go away for some time. I don’t want to think about cinema for some time.”