Bangalore, Apr 4 (IANS): Kannada actress Praneetha, who has been making news for all the wrong reasons in her one-year film career, has been selected to play the lead role in Telugu film "Bava" directed by debutant Ram Babu.

The actress, who paired with a bigger star like Darshan in her debut film "Porki", will be playing the role of a village belle, unlike her modern girl's role in her first Kannada film "Porki". Praneetha says she would prefer to work in Kannada films but would also take up some strong roles in other language films.

"I am really happy with this new development. The director says he was looking for a face that typified both tradition and modernity and I suited the role best. I am eager to work with Siddharth, who has proved his merit in many Tamil, Telugu and even Hindi films," says Praneetha.

Praneetha's inability to act with Yogi in the film "Yaksha" because of her contractual obligations with the producers of "Porki" or her refusal to act with young actor Yesh in the film "Rajadhani" had fuelled a lot of rumours in the Kannada film industry. Some people alleged that Praneetha was only interested in working with big heroes.

After the release of "Porki", Praneetha lost out an opportunity to work in another big Kannada film with Sudeep in the Telugu remake of "Kick". N. Kumar, the producer of the film, had even announced the date of the launch of this big film, but the project finally got shelved due to differences between Sudeep and the producer.

It looked as if Praneetha was really facing bad times despite her fantastic debut in a film like "Porki". But now things have changed for this model-cum-actress who has signed a big Telugu film.

Praneetha says she could not work in "Yaksha" because her contract with "Porki" producers prevented her from doing so. About the "Rajadhani" imbroglio, the actress says the team wanted immediate dates which she could not accommodate.