The real hero is Indian cinema

Being an insider in the film world definitely has its advantages – it makes the start easier. But after that, you have to prove yourself, says Vishnu Manchu with refreshing candour in the aftermath of the nepotism row. He was chatting with DC on a variety of topics, including the current trends in the industry and his upcoming film release.

As he was from Tollywood, the first chance came easily to him, Vishnu unhesitatingly admits. “My father being a legend, people did give me a couple of chances. But if I had been wooden faced, or didn’t have the ability to emote well, to dance or fight, they would have swept me under the carpet,” he asserts.

Vishnu is of the opinion that Bollywood in particular does not confer global recognition on an actor or technician. “It is Indian cinema that gives us global recognition,” he feels. He points out that at least 15 Telugu films have crossed the '100 crore mark as opposed to only three or four Hindi films that have reached this milestone. “Obviously, Telugu is a larger market,” he says, adding, “If our films were shown on a larger scale, we would probably be making more than '500 crore. We have seen this happen with Bahubali.”

Praising the new trend of releasing films from the South in other Indian languages simultaneously, he says it has proved a boon to producers. Earlier, films from the South would be dubbed in Hindi after buying the rights from producers. But the trend of simultaneous release started with Bahubali. “Producers make the films in several languages, and retain the rights. This fetches them huge amounts,” he says.

As an actor from the South, Vishnu is comfortable with someone else dubbing for him in Hindi. Thirty-two of his films have been dubbed in Hindi by one man, and his is the voice used for Vishnu’s latest film too. Anu and Arjun is a multilingual film in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu (Mosagallu), Malayalam and English which is all set for release.

Directed by Jeffrey Gee Chin, the film features Kajal Agarwal, Sunil Shetty, Ruhi Singh and others, apart from Vishnu Manchu. “This is a true story about a brother and sister who were scammed by some Americans. It will be released pan-India on March 19, except for the English version, which will be released later,” says Vishnu. 

“I started my journey with an action film. This film too is an action thriller,” reveals the actor. Although he has taken a risk on the high budget of '51 crore, Vishnu is hopeful that the film will break even.

Vishnu is the proud father of four kids – eight-year-old twin daughters, followed by a four-year-old son and a daughter aged three.

He rounds off the interview on a light note — “I don’t mind having another four, but my wife Viranica says ‘go find someone else!’”