On-screen pairings to look forward to in 2021

In all fairness, 2020 did not manage to offer much in terms of on-screen romance to us. Currently, the industry is encountering is a huge backlog of releases because of the Covid-19 related restrictions, and with these films now being carried forward to 2021, Kannada Cinema will surely see some freshness in terms of on-screen pairings. With actors across age and experience ranges featuring in this list, it is quite evident that year will witness some really interesting performances, along with new romances blossoming on the big screen.

Sharaan returns to the big screen with his new comedy 'Avatara Purusha' and marks his first collaboration with Simple Suni and Pushkar Films. The teaser of the film - released more than 10 months ago - suggests that it is going to be an engaging comedy film that boasts of several interesting actors like Sai Kumar and Sudha Rani. Along with this, another prominent feature of the film seems to be the chemistry between Sharaan and Ashika Ranganath. An unconventional pair on the paper, the two seem to have struck a nice balance of humor and romance which comes through very well in the teaser. With the film planned to be released in two seperate parts, the pairing of Ashika Ranganath and Sharaan will be one of the more interesting ones to watch out for in the coming year.

Popular Tamil/Telugu actor Anjali will return to Sandalwood after five long years. Her comeback film - so to speak - is Vijay Milton's 'Shivappa', a film currently under production and on course to release in the early months of 2021. What calls for a special mention is the slightly unlikely pairing of Dr. Shiva Rajkumar and Anjali, who have been cast opposite one another for the first time in their careers. It would be certainly interesting to see the dynamic of the pairing and how it gets explored in a film that features an ensemble cast.

It seemed like this particular on-screen pairing was in the making for a very long time. Both Hari Prriya and Sathish Ninasam are known to be unconventional actors who have often experimented with their choice of films. Their upcoming film 'Petromax' is being directed by the funnyman Vijaya Prasad and with him added to the mix, one can expect the two actors' comedic traits to be explored further. Currently under production in Mysuru, 'Petromax' will release in cinema halls early next year.

Having transitioned to an off-screen couple, Diganth Manchale and Aindrita Ray are soon to paired again in the upcoming film 'Kshamisi, Nimma Khateyalli Hanavilla'. Directed by debutant Vinayaka Kodsara, the film is being in the ever-scenic Malnad region and also includes TV actor Ranjini Raghavan as one of the leads. More importantly, the film marks the return of the 'Manasaare' couple after eight long years and for all their fans, it is a massive reason to celebrate.

Part of the new breed of actors, both Pruthvi Ambaar and Milana Nagaraj have had great debuts through 'Dia' and 'Love Mocktail' respectively. With their new film 'For Regn' soon to be underway, it would indeed very interesting to see how their chemistry gets played out. Individually, Pruthvi Ambaar will soon be seen in films like 'Shivappa' and 'Sugarless' while Milana Nagaraj is currently occupied with 'Love Mocktail-2'.

Actor Kichcha Sudeep is set to have grand 2021. With Anup Bhandari's 'Phantom' slated to release at some point in the year, he will also be seen reprising his role of Shiva in 'Kotigobba-3'. Interestingly, popular Malayalam/Tamil actress Madonna Sebastian will make her debut in Kannada Cinema and one certainly hopes to witness great chemistry between her and Sudeep. Along with the two, 'Kotigobba-3' will also star Shraddha Das, Aftab Shivdasani, and P. Ravi Shankar as part of the principal cast. The film is being directed by Shiva Karthik.

Two of the most interesting actors in their rights, Diganth and Hari Prriya will soon be seen together in the remake of the Telugu film 'Evaru'. Interestingly, the film is said to be a crime-thriller and in the process of unraveling their new acting shade, it will also potentially create another interesting on-screen pair. The yet-untitled project is being directed by Ashok Alle.