Lakshmi Rai replaces Anushka in Kanchana

Leading actress and model Lakshmi Rai will be the heroine in choreographer-actor-director-music composer Lawrence Raghavendra's forthcoming Tamil film Kanchana, a sequel to his semi-horror flick Muni. Lawrence initially thought of signing Anushka for the lead role, keeping her Arundhati image in mind, but according to sources, after Anushka did not show much interest in the project even after he approached her several times, he offered the role to Lakshmi Rai who accepted it.
Talking about the film, Lawrence said: "After much deliberation, Kanchana has gone on the floors. I've put in a lot of groundwork and am happy to have started work on the project finally. Kanchana will be entirely different from Muni and even more entertaining." Actress Kovai Sarala, who was cast in Muni, will be seen in the sequel too, but Raj Kiran will not be part of Kanchana.