For casting Vanaja and Lacchi, he said that they met approximately 2500 children, interviewed about 260, and finally selected two from a shortlist of five to play the roles of Vanaja and Lacchi. Parents of these children were distrustful of them because their wards would have to frequently commute to Domalpalli's house for acting lessons for at least a year. Domalpalli felt that "to convince people to devote so much of their children's time and energy was hard enough, but to find the right combination of intelligence, commitment and talent as well was probably the steepest cliff they had to climb." While visiting schools for identifying the child cast, Mamatha Bhukya at first was not selected because her hair was short. But after she sang a song on Mahatma Gandhi, she was selected for the role. Srinivas Devarakonda, a disciple of well-known Kuchipudi guru Vempati Chinna Satyam, taught Mamatha the classical dance form for a year in the basement of Domalpalli's house. Due to this sustained effort, she altered her ambitions from becoming a doctor to an actress and a Kuchipudi dancer. Bhavani Renukunta was chosen for Lacchi's role after an interview at the Hyderabad office of Varija Films, the company that handled the publicity.
