Vishnu Manchu is gearing up to hit the screens this Dussehra with ‘Dhenikaina Ready’, a comedy entertainer that he guarantees as a very enjoyable laugh riot. The soft spoken young hero is upbeat about this project and has a lot of plans for his home banner. We caught up with Vishnu for an exclusive chitchat at his office. Read on to see what he had to say about his future plans, his upcoming film and about life in general.
Q. You are returning to a full length comedy role almost 5 years after a very successful ‘Dhee’. What are your expectations from the film?
A. ‘Dhenikaina Ready’ is going to be a landmark film in my career and it will be my ticket to stardom. We are very confident about the movie’s reception at the Box Office. The film will be a laugh riot that will make you very happy for having watched it.
Q. Sulemaan and Krishna Sastry .Full length double role in this movie ?
A. (Smiles). You will have to see that on screen. All I can say is, I have enjoyed playing both the characters and credit must go to the director and the script writers for coming up with such well written scenes.
Q. The promos hint at major roles from Brahmanandam and M.S.Narayana. What can we expect from them ?
A. When this script first came up, Dad said only one thing – “Go ahead with the movie only if Brahmanandam and M.S. Narayana accept to be a part of it”. That statement itself shows how crucial they are to the movie. Their characters are full length roles and in this story, they are going to be seen as enemies.. M.S.Narayana tries to get Brahmanandam into trouble and Brahmanandam must do all that he can to scuttle M.S’s plans. I come in between their schemes.
Q. Have you tried out something new in this movie, something you haven’t done before for your earlier films?
A. I have indulged myself with dances this time. I may not be the best dancer of the industry, but I certainly am a very good dancer. I did not get a chance to showcase my abilities in recent movies but it will change with ‘Denikaina Ready’. Prem Rakshit has done a good job for me and you will see me grooving to new, special steps.
Q. Production and acting, which of these is closer to your heart. ?
A. I was born to be an actor. I just love acting and it is my first passion. As for movie production, it is something I grew up with and something that comes naturally to me. We have been making films since my childhood and it is second nature for us. I take care of the production activities seriously but the moment I don make-up, I let the actor in me take over completely.
Q. Apart from acting, what other things excite you?
A. I have taken up a few social welfare activities and they are very close to my heart. I adopted a few villages and with my own money, I have installed dust bins to aid sanitation and cleanliness. But the sad part is, authorities are not even in a position to clear those dust bins..It is sometimes frustrating, but we are working towards finding solutions. Its a slow process and I must applaud the spirit shown by the students of Vidya Nikethan Institutes. They responded to my call in huge numbers and they doing a lot of volunteer work.
Q. Are you a foodie?
A. Yes! I am a big foodie and I love to try new cuisines. In fact, before I go to a new place or city, I do some research on the best restaurants and the best food that is available there.So that tells you how much I love food. (Smiles)
Q. Thats very nice of you. How are Ari and Vivi?
A. (His face lights up instantly). They are fantastic and they are the darlings of the family. They went on a short trip along with my wife Vinnie to the US and they will be back soon. I am missing them so much.
Q. How would you rate Hansika as a co-star ?
A. She is one of the most professional, fun loving and co-operative actors I have worked with. She also has an infectious smile. I crack jokes a lot on sets and she just can’t stop laughing. She used to break out into splits of laughter randomly over some old joke of mine, leaving all of us puzzled. It was a fun experience.
Q. What about director Nageshwara Reddy?
A. He is a very talented technician and you will see his brilliance in this movie. He has handled the project very well and I am very happy with his work. Dad also saw the movie and he is very happy about the movie.
Q. You are known for your daredevil stunts and fights. Will we see some of them in ‘Dhenikaina Ready’ as well?
A. (Smiles). Yes. I have a good and dedicated team for this and you will see some nice action sequences in this movie. I have also used some special effects in a very subtle manner. Special effects are good only if you can’t detect them. They should be completely natural. Because of my experience in VFX, I was able to take care of this.
{To illustrate his point, I was shown a short clip and Vishnu asked me to identify the VFX bits in the shot. I couldn’t, until he pointed them out to me}
Q. What are your upcoming projects?
A. I am working on the pre-production of Ravana, which will have my father Dr. Mohan Babu in the lead role. It will be India’s most expensive film to date but we will wrap up shooting in 65 – 70 days. I have also liked a script narrated by Gopi Mohan. Apart from this, we are working on a remake of ‘Assembly Rowdy’. It is a very fascinating film for me and Paruchuri Brothers are working on adapting the script to modern tastes currently.
Q. Comedy seems to be your forte. Will you do more films in this genre?
A. I absolutely believe that humour should be an integral part of any film. Take the Dark Knight series of Batman films from Nolan. Even in the most serious situations, we can find some subtle humour in the form of witty dialogues etc. That is what makes those films so effective. People love humour. So yes, comedy will be something I will always attempt.
Q.What are your plans for ‘Dhenikaina Ready’s release?
A. We are planning as big a release as we can. Getting theaters in this jam packed Dussehra season is going to be tough. So we are going with as many as we can get our hands on. I have the confidence that people will appreciate the movie and once this happens, we will keep increasing the theater count as per demand. We are also planning special releases in New York and Paris.
Q. Any ultimate dream projects?
A. (Smiles). I want to see Chiranjeevi uncle and my Dad in a multi-starrer project. And I want my dad to play the negative role. It would be so nice to see them on screen together and I hope we can see that happen. It would be extremely tough given their busy schedules and the budget of the project would be humongous. If there is even a remote possibility, I will try.
Q. Any special plans to tackle piracy?
A. (He suddenly turns serious) This is a menace which needs to be tackled severely. There are about 3 -4 people who are at the root of this problem and no matter how many cases we file, they always walk out after a few days. The law should me amended and punishment should be more severe. I have also requested our Producers council to create a fund of about 1 – 1.5 Crores towards this. If they do that, I will personally take care of things and go after the pirates myself. I am not afraid to use force to tackle this menace. The proverb ‘Spare the rod and spoil the child’ applies here very well.
Q. Any message to movie lovers about ‘Dhenikaina Ready’ ?
A. The movie is a good clean entertainer that will offer you loads of fun. We put in a lot of efforts and took care about the film, so we are expecting a good reception from movie lovers this Dussehra.
With that, we winded up our conversation. I enjoyed the candid and friendly chat I had with Vishnu and we hope you enjoyed reading this interview. Let us wish Vishnu the very best for ‘Dhenikaina Ready’
Interviewed by Mahesh S Koneru