Oct 19, 2026 1:06pm IST
Riteish Deshmukh Begins Filming For His Telugu Debut Joins Schedule of Ram Pothineni’s ‘RAPO23’
Telugu actor Ram Pothineni is turning director with “RAPO23.” The film is an intense psychological thriller packed with action. Riteish Deshmukh began filming for the movie today in Hyderabad. The team has shared a video welcoming him on board for “RAPO23.” This is his first venture in the Telugu film industry. He is playing a menacing villain in his debut role. Ram Pothineni’s younger brother, Krishna is the producer of the movie. In the movie, Ram Pothineni plays the role of Veera, a man with deep emotional scars and a complicated journey in life.
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While he is known for his comedy roles, Deshmukh’s outings on screen as a baddie have always earned him rave reviews. From Rakesh Mahadkar in “Ek Villain” (2014) to “Marjaavaan” (2019), he has performed excellently.
We can see Pothineni behind the cameras and a glimpse of Deshmukh's vanity van. The set has been created as a mental hospital. This gives us a hint of what his character might be in the thriller. Actress Samyuktha (Menon) who has been part of Telugu blockbusters like "Bheemla Nayak" (2022) and "Virupaksha" (2023) is also a part of the movie.
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The trend of Hindi film stars being villains in South Indian films is continuing since a while now. Emraan Hashmi played a baddie in Pawan Kalyan's "They Call Him OG," whereas Arjun Rampal made his debut with "Bhagavanth Kesari," (2023) that had Nandamuri Balakrishna and Sreeleela in lead roles. Vivek Oberoi also did an outing in Ram Charan's "Vinaya Vidheya Rama" but the movie was a washout at the box office.
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