Telugu film Arjun Reddy is considered as one of the path breaking Indian films released in 2017. The film, which had released on 25 August 2017 marked the directorial debut of Sandeep Vanga and Telugu debut of Shalini Pandey. Produced by Pranay Reddy Vanga, Arjun Reddy starred Vijay Deverakonda of Pelli Choopulu in the titular role of Arjun Reddy.

However, not many are aware that the female lead role portrayed by Shalini Pandey was initially offered to popular South actress Parvathy Nair.

In a recent interview, Parvathy Nair had revealed that Sandeep Vanga had approached her in the year 2015 to play the female lead in Arjun Reddy.

"When Sandeep narrated me the script, I was a little hesitant to do the film because of the intimate kissing scenes. Also, when I read the story, it seemed so simple and ordinary, and I couldn’t measure the talent of a debut director. So, I couldn’t take up that role,” Parvathy said.

Parvathy went on to say that she deeply regretted rejecting Arjun Reddy when she watched the film.

"But, when I saw the film in a theatre, I felt so bad and unfortunate for missing it. One must give full credit to director Sandeep for converting a simple love story into a genuinely impactful film. The presentation was so well that I just fell in love with the film", Parvathi said.

Parvathi further revealed that she was also very hurt for rejecting the critically acclaimed Tamil film of 2017, Aruvi.