Actor-politician and Andhra Pradesh Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan, who typically avoids movie promotions, surprised fans by actively promoting his recent release Hari Hara Veera Mallu. During a candid, rapid-fire session with Hauterrfly, Pawan opened up about his preferred female co-stars, eventually calling Kangana Ranaut a “stronger person” over Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor.

While choosing between Alia Bhatt and Deepika Padukone, Pawan diplomatically said he’d pick both. He continued this trend when Kriti Sanon joined the list but ultimately leaned towards Kriti when Kiara Advani was added to the mix.

However, when it came down to Kriti versus Kangana, Pawan confidently chose Kangana. He did the same while picking between Kangana and Priyanka, and even said that his choice between Kareena and Kangana would depend on the film’s nature. Yet, he added, “Looking at how she portrayed Indira Gandhi in Emergency, I think I should go with the stronger person, Kangana Ranaut.”

Kangana, who recently starred in and directed Emergency, reshared the video clip of the rapid-fire round on her Instagram Stories, adding folded hands and heart emojis in response. The only name that surpassed Kangana in Pawan’s list of dream co-stars was the late Sridevi. With a warm smile, Pawan said, “This one… Sridevi, of course,” when asked to choose between the two.

Kangana, who began her career with Gangster (2006), has acted in just one Telugu film (Ek Niranjan with Prabhas). Pawan was last seen in Bro (2023) and now awaits the Hindi release of Hari Hara Veera Mallu. He will next be seen in They Call Him OG and Ustaad Bhagat Singh.