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Today (May 20) is Manchu Manoj's birthday. He celebrated this special day in his life at Bangkok. We wish him a very Happy Birthday.. |
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| Manoj in Prayanam |
I knew Manchu Manoj Kumar from the days of his second film Sree, when the film's director Dasaradh introduced us. I was originally under the impression that he'd be an arrogant son of a celebrity and would not mingle with anyone well. In our very first conversation, I was in for a pleasant surprise seeing his down-to-earth attitude, and that made me stay in touch with him since then. Following the audio release of his Prayanam with Chandrasekhar Yeleti, I called him for an interview and he promised to call me soon and he did call in late in the night once, and we spoke at length on his projects and plans. Excerpts of our conversation are brought together in the form of an exclusive interview:
Sri: How is the journey (Prayanam) going?
Manoj: You need to ask Chandu anna (Chandrashekar Yeleti). (Laughs) I am just going wherever he's taking me.
Sri: I know it's a film about love at first sight happening within a couple of hours at the airport. How can anyone convince a girl in such a short time?
Manoj: My character meets the heroine in the airport and falls in love with her at the first sight, yeah. There's an urge to convince her quick, since she'd leave if it's time for her flight departure and we may never meet again! How I did it is, like they say, for you to watch on the silver screen (laughs).
Sri: How did you manage getting all the permissions at the airport?
Manoj: All that was taken care of by our Executive Producer Sudheer. My job is just acting - I really enjoyed a lot working with an efficient team.
Sri: Most film-makers want to keep their film themes secret too, of late! How is that you're telling the story setting before the release?
Manoj: Not only that but we also released the songs for free download from the WWW (Internet). I feel that it's not a problem at all if the film has the potential to pull it off.
Sri: How did the music come out?
Manoj: Mahesh Shankar has done an excellent job. I am sure he'd get a lot of good name after the film's release. He'd definitely join the big league after our film.
Sri: How was it working with Chandu?
Manoj: Working with Chandu anna is like learning everything afresh. Though I did four films before, I can say this is the film where I learnt real acting. He opened new doors for me and I can now see more world than before.
Sri: How do you happen to work with Chandu? He actually thought of making a film with newcomers this time, right?
Manoj: It was Ajay Sastry (director of Nenu Meeku Telusaa..!) who introduced us. Ajay is good friend of Chandu anna. When he heard the script, he felt I could do it and that it'd suit me apt. He then came to me and asked me to go meet Chandu anna. Chandu anna saw me and asked me to put on weight again...
Sri: Again?!
Manoj: (Laughs) I lost weight for Nenu Meeku Telusaa..! but Chandu anna wanted me to put some weight and I gained weight ...again. I am about to lose 22 kg now, again! I already lost 10 kg and should I have 12 more to go before I start shooting for Veeru Potla's film. I am not going for quick weight redemption case but am choosing through the right diet and right exercise, and thus the process is slow instead of drastic.
Sri: I heard you were ill!
Manoj: I met with an accident at the time of Nenu Meeku Telusaa..! and I hurt my back. I started feeling better but it became worse now and I wasn't able to move at all and it started hurting a lot. I am undergoing treatment now and I hope to recover fast.
