Two years after her Bollywood star father Shatrughan Sinha made his debut in Telugu with Raktha Charitra, it's now Sonakshi's turn to test T-town waters, alongside a big ticket K'wood entry with Shivam. Producer Aswini Dutt, who roped in Preity Zinta to romance Mahesh Babu in Rajakumarudu, this time pencilled in the Dabbang star to play love interest to the Ttown superstar.

She had earlier rejected a few Ttown offers but she couldn't say `no' to this role, penned by writerdirector Krish. “It's a traditional role that aptly goes with her girl-next-door image. She attentively listened to Krish's narration and agreed to be a part of this lavish production, “says a source.

This is a good move for Sonakshi as director Krish is known for portraying strong female leads. “It's a Telugu, Tamil, bilingual, so it marks the debut of Mahesh Babu in Kollywood too, “the source adds. Krish met his colleague S. S. Rajamouli who was also impressed with the `plot'. Good wishes have already started coming in for the producer and director.