Not Sara Arjun, THIS South Actress Approached To Play Madhubala?

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legendary screen icon Madhubala's biopic has been one of the most-talked-about projects in Bollywood. The film, which is reportedly being directed by Jasmeet K Reen, is expected to go on floors later this year. A day ago, it was reported that Dhurandhar 2 actress Sara Arjun had been approached to play the lead role in this film. However, a source exclusively informed Zoom that a South actress has been approached for the same part. And the actress is Lokah Chapter 1's Kalyani Priyadarshan.

Kalyani Priyadarshan approached for Madhubala biopic?

An independent industry source informed us that not Sara but Kalyani was approached to play Madhubala. "Envisioned as a mega-scale tribute to one of Indian cinema’s most enduring icons, the makers are said to be extremely keen on Kalyani following her pan-India success with Lokah," the source added.

It further mentioned that the actress' growing popularity, combined with a natural innocence and screen charm, perfectly aligns with the vision for the ambitious project. The film is said to be directed by Jasmeet, who previously helmed Alia Bhatt, Shefali Shah and Vijay Verma's Darlings.

About Kalyani Priyadarshan

For the uninitiated, Kalyani Priyadarshan is the daughter of renowned filmmaker Priyadarshan and actress Lissy. The actress made her debut with Hello opposite Akhil Akkineni in 2017. She later featured in films like Chitralahari, Ranarangam, Varane Avashyamund, Maanaadu, Thallumaala, Varshangalkku Shesham, and more.On the work front, she was last seen in Domini Arun's Lokah Chapter 1 with Naslen, Sandy, Chandu Salim Kumar and Arun Kurian. The film, produced by Dulquer Salmaan, was theatrically released on August 28, 2025. It opened to positive feedback and worked well at the box office.

Kalyani Priyadarshan's upcoming project

Written and directed by Bhuvanesh Arjunan, Genie is Kalyani's upcoming movie. The film also stars Ravi Mohan, Wamiqa Gabbi and Kirthi Shetty. It has been backed by Ishari Ganesh. Earlier, when the first song Abdi Abdi was about to release, Kalyani penned on X, "As an actor, I always try to push and challenge myself to do things I’ve never done before. This song was one of those moments."

The actress recalled when Bhuvanesh told her about the song, she was amazed at how nicely he made a commercial musical piece into a real and important part of Genie's story. "I can’t wait for you all to see it in the film - the reasons behind it are so powerful!," she added.