Adivi Sesh, Shivani to star in Telugu remake of 2 States; film to be 'slightly peppier' than original

After delivering the critically acclaimed Telugu suspense-drama Kshanam and last year’s screwball comedy Ami Thumi, actor-writer Adivi Sesh is all set to commence work on the Telugu remake of Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt-starrer 2 States. The original is based on Chetan Bhagat’s English bestseller of the same name. Debutant Venkat Reddy will direct the project, which will also mark the acting debut of Shivani, daughter of popular Telugu actors Rajasekhar and Jeevitha. [caption id=“attachment_4341397” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Shivani and Adivi Divesh. Images from Instagram/@ShivaniRajsekhar and Twitter/@adivisesh[/caption] Thrilled about being part of the project, Sesh tells Firstpost: “I like the way Venkat is planning to treat the story. 2 States and Badrinath Ki Dulhania are the two Hindi rom-coms I really liked in the last five years. Also, I’m not really known for the romantic genre so I thought it’s a good space to attempt. As an actor, I want to find new things to do and this was exactly the kind of ‘different’ I was looking for.” Currently shooting for Telugu spy thriller Goodachari, which also stars Sobhita Dhulipala, Sesh will begin work on the 2 States remake by March-end. Meanwhile, the rest of the cast and crew are being finalised. The film will see Sesh as a Telugu boy falling head over heels for a girl from North India. Having seen the original, Sesh says they’ll try and make the remake peppier. “When Telugu audiences saw 2 States, they found it a bit too slow. While maintaining the tone and retaining the emotions of the original, we hope to make the remake peppier. By this, I don’t mean adding needless comedy. I’m talking about the way the film will be presented. It’ll see be an urban rom-com, but slightly peppier than the original.” Lensman Shaneil Deo, who worked on Kshanam and Goodachari, will crank the camera. “It’s a very young team. We’re all quite excited.” Sesh also clarified he’s no longer associated with the Telugu remake of Tamil film Sathuranga Vettai, which was announced with him last year.