New jodi on the block! Dulquer Salmaan and Pooja Hegde team up for Telugu romantic drama

Pooja Hegde and Dulquer Salmaan

For Dulquer Salmaan and Pooja Hegde, 2025 seems to be the year of love. While Salmaan is filming his romantic drama, Aakasam Lo Oka Tara, Hegde has the rom-com Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai lined up for release next year. Now, mid-day has learnt that the two stars are set to team up for a yet-untitled Telugu romantic drama. "The makers were keen to cast a fresh jodi. Dulquer and Pooja have never shared screen space together despite being among the prominent names in south cinema. So, the makers felt bringing them together would add novelty to the story," reveals a source. The project is expected to go on floors in late 2025.

In his 12-year career so far, Salmaan shone in several romantic dramas, from O Kadhal Kanmani (2015) to the much-loved Sita Ramam (2022). After back-to-back thrillers in Chup: Revenge of the Artist (2022), King of Kotha (2023) and Lucky Baskhar, he is excited to return to love stories. Another insider says, "Dulquer enjoys exploring different facets of love through his offerings. He is charged about the romantic dramas in his line-up, considering they are starkly different from each other."

The film will be a change of pace for Hegde, who will open the year with the action thriller, Deva, opposite Shahid Kapoor. She also has Thalapathy 69 opposite Vijay, and Suriya 44, followed by Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, led by Varun Dhawan.