Ram Pothineni is headlining Rapo 23, a high-voltage action thriller directed by himself. After a string of flops, he is pushing hard for a comeback. Nivetha Pethuraj plays the female lead. Ram is shooting intense schedules, including a 24-hour shoot in Puducherry, very recently. Initially SJ Suryah was considered for the antagonist but backed out over remuneration. Jackie Shroff was also linked and then replaced. Latest reports say Riteish Deshmukh is final as villain. Riteish is Genelia D Souza husband and close friend of Ram, making this his Telugu debut.
. Nivetha Pethuraj plays the female lead. Ram is shooting intense schedules, including a 24-hour shoot in Puducherry, very recently.
Initially SJ Suryah was considered for the antagonist but backed out over remuneration. Jackie Shroff was also linked and then replaced. Latest reports say Riteish Deshmukh is final as villain. Riteish is Genelia D Souza husband and close friend of Ram, making this his Telugu debut.
Ram is also producing the film with focused spending and no big star budget. He wants raw action and mass appeal. Sources say Ram appears in a never-before-seen rugged getup. The team is prioritizing tight action blocks and fast pacing over grand sets and VFX-heavy sequences.
Ram is avoiding early release date announcements to reduce pressure. Post-production will decide the launch window. Trade expects RAPO 23 to test Ram's market with content-driven action. If Riteish clicks as villain, it could open more Bollywood crossover roles in Tollywood going forward.