
Sandeep Reddy Vanga has always had lead characters in his movies who have gone on to be considered "iconic." Even after years of its release, fans often refer to the bold style statement that the leading men in Vanga's films have. Many have even gone on to copy and get inspired by the big beard and hair look that Shahid Kapoor sported in 'Kabir Singh' and Ranbir Kapoor did in 'Animal.' Vanga recently spoke about who inspired him to give his lead characters these viral looks.
The popular director attended the pre-release event of Thandel in Hyderabad recently. The film stars Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi. While talking about the film, Vanga expressed his admiration for Chaitanya and explained how the actor's real-life look and persona inspired him to give his lead characters the looks they had in the films.
Vanga at the event in Telugu said, "For some reason, even without knowing certain actors personally, you feel a special inclination towards them, and Chaitanya is one such actor. In reality, the way you dress and even the way you drive your Lamborghini... I had asked my costume designer to take references from your real-life outfits for Kabir Singh and Animal. I've never shared this before, but I thought I would today."
I used to give references of your offline styling for #Animal costume designer.
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- #SandeepReddyVanga at #ThandelJaathara event
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The same video went viral on X (formerly known as Twitter), and one can see Chaitanya, or Chay as his fans like to call him, blush and smile as the director went on to praise him. From the same event, another statement that Vanga caught the attention of fans. He mentioned that for 'Arjun Reddy,' which was the original part of 'Kabir Singh,' he had initially wanted to sign Sai Pallavi as the female lead, but that never worked out, and eventually he cast Shalini Pandey; the titular role was famously played by Vijay Deverakonda.

While Vanga is currently busy working on his next film 'Spirit' starring Prabhas, Chaitanya is gearing up for the release of 'Thandel.'. The film has been directed by Chandoo Mondeti, and Chay will be seen portraying the role of a fisherman who hails from Srikakulam.