Austin South Asian . March 2017

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‘Gunturodu’ Is Full-On Heroism-Based: Manoj

Manchu Manoj is super-confident about ‘Gunturodu’, the March 3 release. In this interview, he talks

I became a fan of Sathya’s narration style from day one. You can’t judge a director’s talent by just one film. He wanted to debut with this kind of film, but he couldn’t. Also, I feel blessed to have got to work with these producers who have spent Rs. 10-11 crore. How did Chiranjeevi’s voiceover happen? I asked Charan to do it, but since he was unavailable immediately, I decided to request Chiranjeevi uncle. He immediately said, ‘Can we do it today?’ It’s an awesome gesture. When I messaged Charan about it, he said to me that I found the tiger!

about his character in the movie, why he likes to experiment, and more. What is your character in the movie? ‘Gunturodu’ is a full-on heroismbased movie. What happens when an egoistic baddie is disturbed by the hero, is what the film is about. As for my character, he can’t handle too much of anything extreme. There are plans to remake the film into Tamil with me. Chinna’s RR is awesome. It’s Anirudh-style BGM. The critics will write specially about it. Take it from me. The film itself is a racy one, like those of Hari and Lingusamy. From the trailer, it seems the villain is the film’s mainstay. Isn’t it? It was great working with Sampath garu. He has given a terrific performance, which made me want to outdo him. There are two approaches. If the other one is mediocre, you rest assured that you will be seen as the better one by default. If the other one is superb, you are motivated to be better than him. I like the latter of the two. The director’s first film didn’t do quite well. Didn’t you think it risky to work with him?

What keeps you going as an artiste? When I try to do films with a difference, all that I look for is whether I get appreciated as an artiste. I don’t make calculations about the pay-offs. Whether my film is runof-the-mill commercial type or experimental, you will get to know it by watching the trailer. Without an emotional core, I can’t act. ‘Potugadu’ may have been a hit, but I did it due to pressure. I did over-act in that movie. It’s films like ‘Prayanam’ and ‘Vedam’ that I am proud of. I get motivation from senior actors like my father, Chiranjeevi uncle, Balayya garu, NTR garu, ANR garu and Krishna garu who essayed a range of roles. At a time when theaters are in the grip of 3-4 people, everyone wants to do safe films.

After marriage, I am conscious of time. I am looking at the watch more often now! (Laughs). The good thing is I have married my best friend. She is a movie-lover and does give me feedback about my looks, etc. She judges a film on the basis of the genre.

Austin South Asian | March 2017

Mega Fan-Made Celebrations In The Offing! While the pre-release event of ‘Khaidi No. 150’ was a huge crowd-puller, the success events

How easy or difficult is it for you to keep gaining and losing weight film after film?

On March 1, which marks the 50th day of the biggest hit after ‘Baahubali’, the Megastar’s diehard fans will celebrate the success across many locations.

It’s easy to put on weight, but not to reduce, especially because of the busy lifestyle. When I have to put on weight, I am free to binge. But shedding weight with deadline upon you is not easy. I will stop this weight-gaining and losing after a while. I have abused my body enough.

The VV Vinayak directorial, which hit the screens on Jan 11, has gone on to pip all records, including in the Overseas territory.

In ‘Okkade Migiladu’, are you glorifying LTTE Prabhakaran, who is seen as a terrorist?

It has to be seen if some announcement regarding Megastar’s upcoming movie will be made on that day.

Someone can be made a hero or a villain by the state. Even the media can do that. They can glorify a ‘vedhava’ if they want. The film presents the point of view of Prabhakaran before the Rajiv Gandhi assassination. The film doesn’t use the names, but the character is modeled after that man.

If that happens, the fans’ excitement will have been doubled.

Priyanka Chopra To Attend Oscars 2017 Priyanka made a breath-taking Oscar debut in 2016 when she

gown for the big night and this time, after keeping it under

actress is finally set to stun at the red carpet again. The actress posted a picture on Instagram with Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger and confirmed that she’ll be a part of the 89th Academy Awards. She write, “Change of plans ! Oscars here we come..

I want to come out of that mold. Long before experimental films were made in Tollywood, I did ‘Prayanam’ and ‘Vedam’. I am happy that we did a horror-comedy like ‘U Kodatara Ulikki Padatara’ before the genre came into currency. What has changed after marriage? Does your wife give you advises?

will be diffused and fan-made!

Priyanka, who is now a regular at Hollywood award shows, sure knows how to keep the magic alive.

chose a white Zuhair Murad

wraps for the longest time, the

She is currently awaiting the release of her film Baywatch costarring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron.


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