Two Kannada films will fight it out this weekend

After the runaway hit Super, Upendra is back with Kannada film Shrimati. And starring opposite him this time is his real life shrimati, Priyanka.

Hindi film actress Celina Jaitly also plays a major role in the film.

Shrimati is a remake of the hit Hindi film Aitraaz, with Priyanka playing the role of the homemaker that Kareena Kapoor played in the original, and Celina in Priyanka Chopra's role of a glamorous go-getter.

Veteran Hindi actor Prem Chopra is also part of the cast which includes Sayaji Shinde and Rekha Das. The film will be released in Telugu as well.

Upendra will look quite different in the film. "I will be seen without a moustache here. I decided to experiment with my look on the insistence of my wife and many of my female fans," he says.

The actor has written the dialogues and the screenplay as well.

Another highlight of the film is that the Priyanka-Uppi jodi are back together on screen after a long gap. This is Priyanka's comeback film as well. Her previous film with Uppi, H20, was a hit. As for Celina, she will be looking to make an impact on the Kannada audience, more so because of her Bengaluru connection. The former beauty queen has lived in the city earlier. She claims that this is among the most challenging roles she has played.

The film is long overdue. Shankregowda, the film's producer, had postponed the release of Shrimati to allow the release of his other film Kempegowda. Before that, the film was delayed so as to avoid a clash with Super. Celina's date problems added to the delay. A hurried music launch was recently held and Hindi actors who had come to play in the Celebrity Cricket League released the audio.

Just how much magic can the husband-wife duo generate on-screen is the question everyone's asking.

The weekend will also see the release of action director 'Thriller' Manju's Police Story 3.

As promised, the director has ensured a quick release for the film that was shot in 12 hours flat. As its name suggests, the film is about the importance of the police force in a city like Bengaluru. Manju plays the role of a police trainer who trains youth who aspire to join the police force.

Police Story 1 was a super hit but its sequel fizzled out. Both were directed by Manju but this film has five other directors as well. Six cameramen have also worked on this project. Seventy recognised artistes, over 100 junior artistes and about 50 black belt karatekas are part of the cast. There are seven villains.

Neha Patil and Bhavya are the leading ladies. Manju is the hero. Sudeep does a cameo as a cop.

The film was shot between 6 am and 6 pm at the Bangalore Palace, and though rain interrupted the schedule, extra time had been factored in. There are plans to release the film in other languages as well.