Vishnu Manchu Exclusive Interview:  കഴിവ് പരീക്ഷിക്കണമെങ്കില്‍ ഏറ്റവും മികച്ചവരുമായി മത്സരിക്കണം - video Dailymotion

Filmibeat Malayalam

Vishnu Manchu shares exclusive insights about Mohanlal's remarkable performance in the film Kannappa. In this engaging interview, he discusses the nuances of acting and what makes Mohanlal a standout performer. Vishnu Manchu Exclusive Interview:  കഴിവ് പരീക്ഷിക്കണമെങ്കില്‍ ഏറ്റവും മികച്ചവരുമായി മത്സരിക്കണം  ~ED.21~HT.24~

Transcript

00:00:00Hello and welcome to the One India podcast with Akash Kholroo. Joining me

00:00:04today is an actor, a producer, an educationalist and somebody who takes a

00:00:10lot of pride in being so, Mr. Manju Vishnu. Hi Vishnu, first things first, how

00:00:15are you? I'm good Akash, thank you. How are you? If I had to keep this free-flowing, my

00:00:18first question to you, I think it's a message that celebrities all across the

00:00:23country should send out to the youth. I didn't use the word sir when I

00:00:25introduced you. Is that a problem to you? Definitely not. Now the reason I said

00:00:29that is we seem to have adopted a lot of Western concepts but dignity of labor

00:00:34still isn't something that we really big on. So we have this sir culture in the

00:00:38corporates and elsewhere. I think probably that has to do something with

00:00:42our tradition because even though we incorporate some good Western practices,

00:00:47who are we if we forget our traditions and our culture? Got it. So it is deep

00:00:53rooted within our culture for a younger person to look up to an elderly person

00:00:58and use the suffix sir or probably mister. Yeah I understand that in

00:01:03corporate culture, you know it's not really necessary. Right. But you know

00:01:08there's no harm in giving respect if that is your tradition or

00:01:14culture and you know some people are okay with it, some people are not okay

00:01:19with it. If you take my case, anyone younger, I wouldn't really you know

00:01:26give a suffix. I'll say but my still respect goes on in my traditional

00:01:30language but if it's I'm definitely seeing someone older, definitely

00:01:36I would say sir or mister or miss. That will always be. But not using that

00:01:41doesn't amount to disrespecting you. Definitely not disrespectful but good to

00:01:46have. Good to have. Right. Coming to what we're going to talk about, I would like

00:01:51to focus a little bit on your journey to begin with. How was it growing up? Because

00:01:55I think very young in your life, I think it was very clear that you were going to

00:01:59carry a huge baggage of being the son of a stalwart or a legend in Telugu cinema.

00:02:04How was it growing up and was it easy? See definitely wasn't easy. You know

00:02:10growing up was very easy. That was you know I had you know my father and mother

00:02:15made sure that you know I was not wanting for anything.

00:02:19Irrespective of the hardships they faced and especially my father, he made

00:02:25sure we were shielded from all the hardships. Whereas growing up we did

00:02:29realize that you know what all they were going through and I'm grateful for the

00:02:33way they have brought us all up and if I'm 10% of what my father is, I think

00:02:39I'll be a great father. Any excerpt you can give us on what kind of a father

00:02:43he was, any memories that you have from back then? Oh there are a lot of

00:02:46memories. There were great memories. Anything you can pinpoint on something

00:02:49that our audience would love to hear? One thing I know is that he never gave up.

00:02:55He never gave up. That was something which I learned. You know even

00:03:01when all chips were down, everything was down. You know he always stood like a

00:03:07rock and you know and his attitude is where I think I learned a lot of my life

00:03:13lessons from. So growing up I believe you were a sports enthusiast as well,

00:03:18played cricket, were the captain of the basketball team of your college if I'm

00:03:21not wrong. I remember reading that online. I was the vice president, not the vice

00:03:26president, I was a vice captain of the Indian basketball team under 21 and then

00:03:31I was a captain of my university's cricket team and then I did captain my

00:03:38basketball team. Yes, I also played district level cricket and basketball

00:03:47basketball national level I did play. So I was pretty much into sports and I was

00:03:52my life was in sports mostly when I was growing up. That's I would say I mean

00:03:57don't mean to bring in gender here but that in that generation I think was

00:04:01was something that most men were comfortable doing growing up. Get onto

00:04:05the field and play. How did movies happen? It was was it just organic

00:04:09because your father was a stalwart or is it something that was at the back of

00:04:13your head always? See Akash, I was an ugly duckling in my family. It takes a

00:04:18lot to say that. You have to be honest you know I'm not I wasn't I was an ugly

00:04:23duckling in the family and I was never a great looker and you know my family also

00:04:29decided that I would become an IPS officer and I did train to write my

00:04:33civils and I did give my preliminaries and what I learned over the period of I

00:04:40asked God only one thing make me an actor and I'll save it as much as I can

00:04:44and I keep telling in other interviews you know in 1.3 billion people in the

00:04:48country there are probably 200 people who are lead actors across the world

00:04:52country and I'm one of the 200 and I thank God for giving me this opportunity

00:04:58and I want to you know he gave me this opportunity and I want to protect it by

00:05:02working hard and being disciplined and here I am you know there are much

00:05:07better-looking guys than me yes but I got the opportunity thanks to my father

00:05:11and I want to you know nurture that and keep it intact by my hard work and

00:05:16discipline. Going back in your journey once again you just as you said you

00:05:20wanted to be realistic any regrets going up that you've got any personality I

00:05:24think we all with the time grow up and mature as individuals right I mean today

00:05:28when I look back at the teenager in Akash Kohler who I would say okay this

00:05:31is the personality trait and I'm glad I got rid of anything like that going up

00:05:35that you remember? The only thing probably Abhishek can go back and change

00:05:38is my eating habits other than that there are no regrets for me. I think you

00:05:43worked on your physique I did a lot more than you did in the past yeah coming to

00:05:49movies once again do you believe this nepotism debate is something that has

00:05:54been ongoing for I think decades now do you believe you got it easy are you

00:05:59some one of those who recognizes the fact that okay maybe they had an

00:06:03advantage and I mean they don't really shield that with anything right it is the

00:06:08reality or do you believe that is tougher for a star kid because the

00:06:12minute you hit the screen there's this comparison between your father which one

00:06:16is it? Nepotism is a word which was which was made very popular in the last

00:06:20decade and I laugh at it. I credit a talk show for that. You know and I kind of

00:06:28laugh at it when people talk about it that star kids have it easy you know

00:06:32kids within the film industry you have it. See it all helps us with the first

00:06:39movie advantage there's no doubt in that okay because my father was a legendary

00:06:45actor and a producer I got my opportunity as the first film. That film

00:06:51didn't work but because the audience accepted me believing that I had some

00:06:58kind of talent and some kind of you know something they believe that I could

00:07:02deliver they've kept me alive all these years and if they think that I wasn't

00:07:07you know there was no hope in me as an actor why would they even come to the

00:07:11theater to see me or even talk about me today. I have to confess because D till date

00:07:16happens to be one of my all-time favorites right but as fans or as a

00:07:21viewer of Telugu cinema I always felt post that what happened right because I

00:07:26personally cannot remember a lot of big moments post that. Anything you'd like to

00:07:31share about your journey? See what happened with D was a it became a cult

00:07:35film you know that was the first of the films in that time which kind of broke

00:07:40barriers and made a lead actor you know be subtle and make a fool of all the

00:07:45gangsters instead of being a macho guy and beating people up and the same time

00:07:50winning his love and it had great combinations of some of the best comic

00:07:56actors and we playing along and fooling it up. So the character was a

00:08:00brilliant character and people fell in love with it and that has become like an

00:08:04iconic you know recently I read it in I think Enadu I think you know in the top

00:08:13100 films D was one of them. It was remade in from not on three or four South

00:08:17Indian languages. It was made in almost all languages in every language it made

00:08:20money and I was like wow a film of mine you know made it in the top 100 list.

00:08:26After that I did have about four or five huge films but none of them were as

00:08:31path-breaking as I mean there's no brand recall because none of them has

00:08:36path-breaking as D and if you ask me what why couldn't you make another D you

00:08:41know you never know we never made that D that movie thinking that it's going to

00:08:45become my iconic you know cult film. Got it. I mean it was it was something that

00:08:51you did as a part of your routine as a part of your job eventually ended up

00:08:55becoming as because it became. Coming to Telugu cinema as one of the

00:09:00strongest voices that I've observed in the recent past while you've always

00:09:04maintained and I know people in the industry who always say this that you're

00:09:06very close person you're a private person in general but you don't shy away

00:09:10from taking things head-on when you have to. With respect to Telugu cinema taking

00:09:15charge nationally and making it really big most of the national stars that I

00:09:19can speak of today have been from Telugu cinema in the recent past. What do you

00:09:24think we're getting right and what do you think we're getting wrong? By wrong

00:09:27I'm not fishing for a controversy here rather what I'm looking at is the bigger

00:09:31you get more eyeballs on you and harsher the criticism right. Do you believe

00:09:36content wise what is it that we need to sort of watch out for as a threat in

00:09:41the near future? See there's nothing you know see the North and South debate for

00:09:47me if you actually ask me it's a very very silly thing because it's all Indian

00:09:52cinema. 100%. For me it's Indian cinema. Now why is it that Telugu cinema is doing

00:09:57very well up north if you ask because these movies are getting it visibility

00:10:04because they are getting theaters to get released there. This is not an

00:10:08overnight sensation of phenomena which happened but in the last 15 to 18 years

00:10:14all the movies which have been dubbed all the South films which have

00:10:19been dubbed to Hindi the audience were like okay we can watch it on TV we can

00:10:23watch it on YouTube. Oh this movie is nice. Why is it that most of the

00:10:27country today watch Korean series and movies and you love it. You know

00:10:33sometimes you don't even understand the language but you see the emotion you

00:10:36read the subtitles you love it. So if you can't suddenly say you can't compare

00:10:41Korean movies with Indian movies and say you know they're doing a great job you

00:10:44guys are not doing is Korean movie a threat. It's not. It's today audience are

00:10:49able to appreciate good cinema irrespective of the language barrier and

00:10:53they're having a release there. Now if there's if movies do not get for example

00:10:59Hindi movies do not get a release here in South we will never be able to

00:11:04appreciate good Hindi films. The same way if good South films get a

00:11:10theatrical release there they will never be able to get an appreciation and all

00:11:15of a sudden now it's no longer a barrier for actors. The lines are blurred blank

00:11:21you know the borders are blurred. Why don't you cast that guy that guy is

00:11:25good you know. Why is a junior interacting with Hrithik Roshan you

00:11:30know because when two of the biggest stars of the country get together you're

00:11:34going to see fireworks. So that is how the future is going to be. You know

00:11:40people who do not understand cinema or do not understand the trend will have

00:11:46this debate about South films are doing better North films are not doing. That

00:11:51debate is that debate for me doesn't make sense. If it really you know I'll

00:11:55give you one example like Avengers. For most of the common people they all think

00:12:00oh they are all Americans they're all doing but not many people realize you

00:12:05know Thor is an Australian actor. Yes. You have to bring him on here. Wolverine

00:12:12is an Australian actor Hugh Jackman. Yes. Okay and the Deadpool Ryan Reynolds is

00:12:19not even an American he's a Canadian. Yes. Okay of course Canada is now another

00:12:22state of United States if Trump has it. But yeah Ryan Reynolds is a Canadian. So

00:12:28the question arises with that you shouldn't think about where the actor is

00:12:33from. You should look at just a movie and go on with it but people you know would

00:12:37like to have the debate. This will die down in the next year or two you know

00:12:42it'll be fine totally fine. The second question that I come to when it comes to

00:12:46content. Lately there is this sense among viewers across the country not

00:12:52just telling the viewers for that matter that sometimes the sequel is maybe forced

00:12:56right. There's this trend of sequels running maybe it's way more commercially

00:13:01viable etc etc. But do you believe that every movie doesn't require a sequel? I

00:13:07mean sometimes this is just a forced thing that comes in from the production

00:13:11and that says okay maybe we'll make more money or the story doesn't essentially

00:13:15demand a second movie all the time. I don't know but most of the filmmakers if

00:13:20they believe that there is a potential for a second part why not it'll go on. So

00:13:25I do believe that it can happen. Got it. Coming to Kanapa. Before that what does

00:13:33faith mean to Manju Vishnu? The reason is I mean there are a lot of interlinks

00:13:39between what faith means to you personally and what you did in the movie.

00:13:43What does faith means to you and what is the definition of faith in your head as

00:13:48a person as a human being? That's a very very broad answer I'd have to give in

00:13:52terms of faith. I'm a Hindu and I believe in you know the way I worship God. It

00:14:00could be different from the way you worship, the way I worship, the way you

00:14:04talk to God, the way you go to the... I don't believe that I should go only to

00:14:07the temple to have a conversation with God. I sit down in my car when I'm going

00:14:14I suddenly you know feel like okay I need to ask God this thing. Now I like to

00:14:17have a thing in a conversation with God. I believe you know you close your eyes

00:14:23here with God. Yes. You know with a pure heart whatever you give God with that's

00:14:27the what even the movie Kanapa is about. You know with a pure heart with a good

00:14:33intention however you worship God, God will hear you and God is there always

00:14:38with you. Has it always growing up has faith always played such an instrumental

00:14:43part in your life? No always, always. My dad is very religious. I remember you

00:14:47telling me that your father doesn't let you get out of the house without feeding

00:14:50your cows. If I'm not wrong. Yeah. In one of the conversations. Yes my dad you know

00:14:54wherever he stays he has you know we have two cows in our house all the time

00:15:00and before dad leaves the house either in the University in Tirupati or in

00:15:06Hyderabad he feeds them. He feeds them, he prays to them and then he goes out of

00:15:10the house and when I am there I do that too and thing is to each their own. I

00:15:20grew up in a very religious house. My dad does puja for about 20 to 30 minutes a

00:15:24day however busy he is and then he goes. Though I don't do it for 20 to 30 minutes

00:15:30a day, I do my puja and I go to temples. I question God a lot. I

00:15:36question the rituals a lot. Now why should only this happen? Why can't I do

00:15:40with that? There's no there's nothing wrong in questioning religion because

00:15:44you shouldn't blindly follow. You should not blindly follow whatever you know

00:15:48rituals they say this is how it should be done. Why should it be done in certain

00:15:51way? If you're convinced with that answer then you should do it. Don't just

00:15:56blindly follow it. Question it. Then you will find the answer and do it with even

00:16:00more rigor. Got it. Coming to Kanapa. Why Kanapa at this juncture in your

00:16:06professional as well as personal career? I think we all have heard about how the

00:16:10idea came about how Mr. Tanikil Ambani had played a role in that. But right now

00:16:14I think with OTT coming in, it has revolutionized the way content is

00:16:18perceived in a lot of ways. There's more go to it, there's more block to it etc.

00:16:22But there's also this parallel trend of patriotism slash mythological stories

00:16:27making it really big. Why Kanapa? What led to you getting convinced about the

00:16:32movie in the first place? And if today's Gen Z's or Millennials are to watch it,

00:16:37the obvious question why should they watch it? See if a story is told properly

00:16:42everybody will watch it. Everybody will watch it. It's how you tell the story, any

00:16:48kind of story. Now when you come up to Kanapa, after almost 50 years of that

00:16:54last time the story was told, I'm making this story. People who were born in the

00:17:00last 30 years vaguely remember Kanapa. Only people probably who go to Sri

00:17:04Kalahasti temple and they hear the legend of Kanapa, people might know it.

00:17:09But I think after 50 years it's Lord Shiva's you know order to me to retell

00:17:17the story of Kanapa, to again show to this generation the story of Kanapa. And

00:17:21this is my version of Kanapa. Got it. Coming to the star cast you chose, before I

00:17:28get into how it was working with each one of them, was there ever a sense of

00:17:33okay I'm gonna enlist such bigwigs in the industry, be it Akshay Kumar, be it

00:17:38Mr. Mohanlal. I always had my wish list. Yes. I mean did you at any point feel, am I

00:17:44going to get overshadowed? I mean because there's two narratives here, I'll

00:17:47be very honest. One is, no matter how small the pie, let me own majority of it.

00:17:52The other narrative is, I will focus on making the pie much larger than me

00:17:57irrespective of how minuscule my role in that is. Right. While I understand that

00:18:02the movie is about Kanapa, the role that you're playing, it is all going to be

00:18:05about Kanapa, there is in marketing and when it reaches the audience there is a

00:18:10sense of, you know, this was a question that multistar movies always had, that is

00:18:15there going to be any clash amongst fans or who's going to overshadow whom. Was

00:18:18that ever a thing in your head? See most of the actors who I cast in the movie

00:18:22are much much much bigger actors than me and legendary actors. For me it is like

00:18:27how did I act next to them? Did they

00:18:33overshadow me or did I overshadow them? Did my character actually stand out

00:18:37while performing with them? That is something the audience will have to tell.

00:18:42But as for casting them, I don't have an inferiority complex. Even if I had to do

00:18:46one scene in a movie against some of the biggest names, I am very confident that I

00:18:51would give my hundred percent and as an actor nobody can point out that I did a

00:18:57subpar performance. That is something I'm very confident about. I'm

00:19:01confident about my skill and while casting these people, I wanted larger

00:19:06than life people to be there because that is when, if I'm bowing down to Lord

00:19:10Shiva, the minute I announce Akshay Kumar as Lord Shiva, now your anticipation is

00:19:15like how will he look? Yesterday we launched the look, it's been

00:19:18accepted amazingly. So these things are things which I put and I wanted to cast

00:19:24father in a certain role because I knew that if an arrogant sage like

00:19:28Vishwamitra is there, the first person who would do justice for that character

00:19:32is my father. And you know, if I wanted Prabhas to play a certain role, I knew

00:19:37that only if he played, the stature of the character would grow more.

00:19:41Okay, so that is why we had to, you know, I had a wish list and thankfully Lord

00:19:46Shiva, you know, made sure I had that wish list. And for who had to play Lord

00:19:52Shiva? Lord Shiva had to give permission and I think the permission was given to

00:19:57Mr. Akshay Kumar. So there is a sense lately, right? There were, I mean, media is

00:20:02media at the end of the day, I belong to the organization. But there is a sense of,

00:20:07again, you've already minusculed or rather belittled the debate about

00:20:12North versus South. Well, let's bring it back for a second. There is a sense of

00:20:15onboarding national actors for the sake of marketing. That's the narrative that a

00:20:21lot of critiques have come out with, right? Because maybe they shoot for four

00:20:24days but carry on marketing for 30-40 days, etc. Each of the characters that

00:20:29you've chosen, did you choose them because they're the right fit for that

00:20:33character or was there a marketing angle behind the end? Both, both. I will not shy

00:20:39away from being dishonest. It was both. Now if I'm going to approach

00:20:44Mr. Akshay Kumar and bring it here, he's going to, there are a lot of eyeballs

00:20:49which will be looking at Mr. Akshay Kumar because of the superstar he is. And I

00:20:53would love Kannapa to be known also. My aim is to tell the story, to make sure

00:20:59the story reaches the last person. Then I got to do what I got to do. Got it. And

00:21:05I'll do it. Coming to how it was working with each one of them, I'll go person by

00:21:11person. First, Mr. Akshay Kumar, obviously. How was it? I mean, we've all heard

00:21:15stories about how he wakes up at 4 a.m. It's really hard working. But how was

00:21:20your personal experience working with the man? And what is it that maybe you

00:21:24could learn or you could teach to him in as many words? I don't know if I can

00:21:28teach him anything or not. But I did learn to be professional and touch me not, you

00:21:33know, with him. A very very nice man, humble man, does not have those airs

00:21:38which it's a biggest turnoff for me if anybody tries to act very, you know,

00:21:43superior. Nobody is superior here. And him being one of the biggest superstars in

00:21:49the country, the humility he had and the down-to-earth nature what he had, it was

00:21:55very very nice. And when, you know, at certain points, I was like looking at him

00:21:59and saying, I gave him a subtle thing from the monitor. He immediately understood

00:22:05and he was like, I need one more. Right, that you were not satisfied with what happened.

00:22:08Yeah, and he was like, no. Then I had to say, okay, okay, change the light and I went up

00:22:13to him and I said, Akshay ji, this is what I felt it was. And then I showed him

00:22:19and he was like, you're right, I'll do it one more. So he's open to opinions, he's

00:22:23open to... Of course, of course. He's not one of those guys who comes in and says,

00:22:26I'm the biggest star, I want to... No, no. I want it my way. No, he was very

00:22:31very sweet and he was very good and very punctual. That's of course known about him.

00:22:36Got it. But at the end of the fifth day, when my father said, Akshay ji, you know, my

00:22:43son needs a blessing, you know, you're a legend. My son needs a

00:22:47blessing. He looked at me and said, these last few days, he put me to task. He

00:22:52sorted. I don't think he requires any more of blessings from me. I did push him, I did push him.

00:22:57That's something you should hold as a matter of pride, in fact. I mean, if you could

00:23:01push Akshay Kumar to do better than he was doing. Not just about that, the

00:23:04timelines also, I was like, I didn't let anybody breathe on the set when he was there.

00:23:08I was like, because I had to shoot what other people would have shot for about

00:23:1112-13 days, I had to wrap it up in six days. Are you a hard task master or

00:23:16perfectionist? I am not a hard task master or perfectionist. I don't know

00:23:20what those two mean. I'm just, I am what I am. That's all. Got it. Coming to Prabhas,

00:23:25I mean, ever since Bahubali hit the screens, I think the most talked about

00:23:31star, I could say that, at least coming in from Delhi, I can definitely assure

00:23:35that that is the chatter. How was it working with him? I think both of you and

00:23:39your father and him also share a very sweet personal bond. Beyond that,

00:23:44professionally, how was it working with him? And what can we look forward to when

00:23:49it comes to his role? If you can give us a little bit of a leak here. You are

00:23:52going to love Prabhas' character in this movie. And what probably, you know,

00:23:59what he hasn't done in the earlier films is what you'll be seeing a lot in this.

00:24:03And his performance. What do you mean by what he hasn't done? I just want to

00:24:06probe a little bit more. See, the kind of performance he's done in this movie, he

00:24:12hasn't done it in the last probably, since probably Bahubali. Got it. You know,

00:24:18the nuances he's done, the way he's delivered dialogues. And you know, it's

00:24:24phenomenal the way he brings in. Because he's there in the movie for a purpose.

00:24:29And he, you know, and he kinds of sets everything right. And the way he delivers

00:24:38the message is phenomenal. It'll be a shocker. It'll be a shocker. Coming to Mr. Mohanlal.

00:24:43Now, I've grown up listening to tales about this man, right? I'm sure you have too.

00:24:49How was it interacting and making somebody like him a part of your dream

00:24:55project, so to say, if it is one? Because the minute this generational

00:25:00transgression, I think there are a lot of inhibitions which come in. How do I

00:25:05address? How do I speak to him? A lot of inhibitions which come in amid this

00:25:08generational transgression in general. So how was it with that man? And what can

00:25:14we expect from him going forward? See, if you ever want to test your skill, you

00:25:21need to play with the best. And in cricket, you would love to either be at

00:25:28the non-striker end of Sachin, to see his batting technique and pick up a few.

00:25:33Or you need to bowl to Sachin, to see whether you can restrain him. That's when

00:25:41you'll know what your mettle is. For me, acting with Mr. Akshay Kumar, Mr.

00:25:48Mohanlal has been that. I was in awe of him. I grew up in front of him and I've

00:25:54known him since I was a child. And for me to share the screen space with this

00:25:59legend who I adored since I was a kid, it was a surreal experience for me. Just

00:26:05to see him walking, coming and standing in front of me. I was just staring at his

00:26:08eyes and the way he was doing and I was like, now's the time I got to prove

00:26:12myself. And forever, as long as I live, I'll cherish what he told me during the

00:26:20scene on the second day of shoot. I'll hold it to my heart till the end of time.

00:26:25Is that something you're okay going public with? You know, it was a scene

00:26:28where I had a four-page monologue with him and I did that. And I was

00:26:36still sitting down there, tears rolling down my eyes. I was looking at him. As soon

00:26:40as they said cut, he walked three steps forward and he said, good job, Mohanlal.

00:26:46Very well, very well. Those simple words from him. And he just walked back and I

00:26:52was just sitting there and then I was like, you know, tears were still

00:26:56rolling down my eyes. You know, I was looking at it and those were the tears.

00:26:59There's genuinely my tears saying that, wow, did Mr. Mohanlal really walk forward, come up

00:27:08and say that I did a good job? Wow. That means a lot, I'm sure. Coming from somebody like that.

00:27:14He doesn't bullshit. He's very subtle, he's very cool. But to give a praise,

00:27:20he's not that quick. And to get it from him, it's an honor for me.

00:27:26Prasoon, considering your trajectory in movies, wouldn't it be right to say this project for you is Make or Break?

00:27:32Yeah, that's right to say. And considering the amount of money going in as well.

00:27:37If you were to, I wouldn't ask you for projections, that's futile. But if you,

00:27:43I'm pretty sure you guys sit down on the drawing table and have your expectations

00:27:47set, right? I'm not going to ask you numbers but there are leagues that have

00:27:51been established ever since Magnum opuses have been created. Which league do you see this movie entering?

00:27:57I mean, at par with any other movie, would you like to compare?

00:28:00See, I would love Kannapa to be the biggest movie.

00:28:04But whether it will be the biggest movie or a big movie or a good movie, it's all in the hands of the audience.

00:28:11Though our aspirations are, you know, we would want it to be a very, very big movie.

00:28:16You know, like how in history, the earlier Kannapa, Bhakta Kannapa is an iconic movie.

00:28:23I hope and pray, you know, I succeed in making this on that level.

00:28:29But ultimately, it's in the hands of the audience.

00:28:31You know, they judge and they are the people who decide where it has to be.

00:28:37The starting of the interview, I remember you saying that, you know, if I'm even 10% of my father,

00:28:42I'll consider myself fulfilled in my life.

00:28:46If you had to draw a parallel between him and you, a very tough question or rather we can choose not to as well.

00:28:51That's your choice. But at any point in time, do you believe that you underachieved given the opportunity?

00:28:59Or do you believe you've done well with the opportunities that you've got?

00:29:02Have you ever had that comparison in your head or have you just seized that aspect?

00:29:06I underachieved.

00:29:08Right. Any reason why you think you've done that?

00:29:10Because my choice of many directors were wrong.

00:29:15I mean, again, not for the controversy, but any movies that you regret doing?

00:29:20I don't regret doing any movie.

00:29:21I just regret working with a few directors who I went on sentimental reasons.

00:29:28Because ultimately, it's the director who makes or breaks a movie.

00:29:34He's the captain of the film.

00:29:36And in the movies, which I had the power of choosing the director or working with a certain director, I faltered.

00:29:43Ultimately, the director is the king.

00:29:46He's the leader.

00:29:47We have to just follow the leader.

00:29:49And if the leader is flawed, on screen, people do not, the first brick bat hits the actor on screen.

00:29:56If he's known. Yes.

00:29:58Then comes the director.

00:29:59And it is harder for an actor to bounce back because the director is a creator.

00:30:05He didn't create well this time, but the next time he might crack the code and make a super duper hit.

00:30:10Whereas for an actor, he'll have to wait for another opportunity.

00:30:15Any names you can give us?

00:30:17I don't want to give names.

00:30:19I don't want to point.

00:30:19Have you ever seen an example where the same director maybe in the next movie?

00:30:23Oh, yes.

00:30:24Delivered an absolute wonder.

00:30:25Oh, yes.

00:30:27Where you were like, man, he could have done that with me as well.

00:30:28Yeah, yeah.

00:30:30There are a few people who have done that.

00:30:33So coming to addressing the elephant in the room, right?

00:30:38I'll come back to the movie a little later.

00:30:40But it'd be an absolute disservice if I don't.

00:30:42Again, let me issue a disclaimer here.

00:30:46You could choose not to respond on certain aspects and I'll truly respect that.

00:30:51With respect to what's happening within the family and the recent Twitter war to be to be isolated.

00:30:57The way a third person looks at it is neither party in this case paints itself in glory.

00:31:03Because the level of discourse, I think, has gone to a level where nobody can be proud about it.

00:31:09Considering the words that are being used, etc.

00:31:11What is your version on this?

00:31:13Yes, I mean, now it is in the public domain.

00:31:16There's shots being fired.

00:31:18I'm sure you must have seen that there are people with vested interests making use of what is happening.

00:31:23Be it online, be it influencers, be it YouTubers, etc.

00:31:27What is your stand on that?

00:31:29See, families are complicated and every families have their own issues.

00:31:37Probably because of the, you know, the popularity which father has and we guys have.

00:31:48This is being carried by the national news also.

00:31:53But I am a very old traditionalist.

00:31:55I, you know, I'm probably I'm a very old soul also.

00:31:59I believe in Mata, Pita, Guru, Daivam.

00:32:02I'm very, very, my fundamental principles are that.

00:32:06Come what may, these four will never change for me.

00:32:09Okay.

00:32:12What has happened is totally unfortunate.

00:32:15And I hope, you know, there would be an end for all of this in the near future.

00:32:25But it is really unfortunate all of this has happened and is happening.

00:32:32And I know that there will be a few more incidents in the future also.

00:32:37You'll never hear me talk about it, Akash.

00:32:40I'm a very private person.

00:32:42I will not talk about it.

00:32:44I'll never make a statement.

00:32:46You know, they might provoke me to make a statement.

00:32:50They might insult me to make a statement.

00:32:53But I'm not interested in bringing my family affairs out into the public.

00:32:56And whatever Twitter was you're talking about, I'm not a party of any of it.

00:33:01I mean, you posted something without any out and out insinuation,

00:33:06but it was taken personally.

00:33:08If the shoe fits, wear it.

00:33:10I mean, I get that.

00:33:11I mean, even if you wanted to, I'd have to give it to you.

00:33:13You were clever with it.

00:33:14I'm not saying you wanted to, but even if you did.

00:33:16See, if you go back and see,

00:33:19my father is celebrating his 50 years of being an actor.

00:33:23And that is what I am celebrating, irrespective of whatever is happening.

00:33:27The glory.

00:33:27How many actors can proudly say 50 years they have been in the industry

00:33:32and are a legendary figure and being at the position where he is

00:33:38and still reckoned as a phenomenal actor and a relevant actor after 50 years?

00:33:43Very, very few people had that opportunity.

00:33:46And my father's having that.

00:33:47And as a son, I want to celebrate that.

00:33:49And there are so many celebrations we sorted up going forward.

00:33:54Now, in that, we've been releasing his famous dialogues every day.

00:33:58If you go back, not just now, right from the 1st of December,

00:34:03you see, we put on his famous dialogues and then we moved on to his famous songs,

00:34:08his iconic songs.

00:34:09We are putting one every day, every day.

00:34:13And one such situation, one of my favorite movies with Mr. Ram Gopal Verma

00:34:18and one of his iconic dialogues was slated that day.

00:34:23All I did was post that.

00:34:25Yes.

00:34:27I don't say anything out of the blue, which I did it.

00:34:31But if anybody else wants to see that as an opportunity,

00:34:34that they got attacked and they felt they were said on that and they,

00:34:38you know, it's unfortunate.

00:34:40And if they want to say something on it, let them keep saying.

00:34:43See, I'm not new to criticism.

00:34:45The minute I started being an actor and decide to stand on my two feet

00:34:49and stand for any issue that I am sure I will be rubbing people

00:34:55a little, you know, on the wrong side.

00:34:57I don't care.

00:34:58You want to hate me? Take a token and stand in the line.

00:35:00There are already people in line.

00:35:02Out of so many people, there will be one more person.

00:35:06To live my life thinking what 20, 30 people around me think about me is stupid.

00:35:16I don't lead my life like that.

00:35:18I don't care what people think.

00:35:20I do what my heart says is clear and I enjoy my life.

00:35:23When I go to bed in exactly less than two minutes, I'm already in deep sleep.

00:35:28So, you know, my conscience is clear.

00:35:30I am sleeping. I don't care about anything.

00:35:33Well, there is one incident that you personally reacted on in the recent past as well.

00:35:38A very sensitive one.

00:35:39I'm talking about the Praneet Hanumanth case.

00:35:41And I would want to shed a little bit more light on that.

00:35:45Lately, YouTube or any social media platform for that matter is a double edged sword.

00:35:50If used for the right reasons, it can deliver a really good thing.

00:35:53But if used for the wrong, we have seen cases where it has gone,

00:35:57it gets spiraled into something else, right?

00:36:00I was, in fact, watching that video reaction of yours on my way here.

00:36:04You were very animated when you reacted to it.

00:36:06And I pretty much get why as well, considering the context.

00:36:11Where did that reaction come from?

00:36:13See, I felt very, very upset when this low life

00:36:18compared a child,

00:36:22you know, in a sexual reference with their father.

00:36:25Yes.

00:36:27Was he abused as a child?

00:36:31We don't know. He needs help.

00:36:33Or if not, he should not be in a society where human beings want to live a normal life.

00:36:40And I appreciate fully to Sai Dharam Tej for pulling that issue up.

00:36:45And we were all appalled at what level this person, Hanumanthu,

00:36:53could stoop to talk about a three, four year old child.

00:36:57I have kids.

00:36:59If I do not come out and point out and talk about this,

00:37:03what kind of society am I leaving for my children in the future?

00:37:07Yes, he didn't talk about me or anything, but he spoke about it.

00:37:12Yes. And as a person in a society,

00:37:17and I saw that and I was also constantly being bombarded.

00:37:20I'm the president of the Movie Artists Association.

00:37:23I was constantly bombarded in terms of saying,

00:37:29you know, how is it that...

00:37:31You haven't reacted.

00:37:32Not just about reacted.

00:37:33What am I doing actually now that people,

00:37:37such people are targeting the families of actors,

00:37:41the kids and wives of the actors.

00:37:44You want to criticize me, you criticize me, man.

00:37:46I'm OK. You know, I'm there out in the limelight.

00:37:49But you cannot criticize my family.

00:37:51You can't criticize my kids.

00:37:52They haven't made this choice of being public figures.

00:37:54You know, you should respect it.

00:37:55You should know where to draw the line.

00:37:57And these guys went overboard.

00:37:58And that's when I said, you, all the people who are attacking

00:38:02the families of the actors and doing derogatory statements, back off.

00:38:07And I'm giving you 48 hours time.

00:38:10OK, or I'm going to come with you legally.

00:38:12And I went legally against them.

00:38:14And that's the reason today, you see, you don't see such derogatory remarks on it.

00:38:17I faced the brunt.

00:38:18But I was in the position as a, you know, where I, you know,

00:38:22I had to do something.

00:38:23And when I was taking that stand, everybody warned me,

00:38:26Vishnu, it's not going to be easy.

00:38:27They're going to forget everybody.

00:38:29And they're going to come and target you specifically.

00:38:31I said, let them, let them.

00:38:33I'm going to take them on.

00:38:34And there was also this narrative on the sidelines when this was happening

00:38:38that Mr. Manju Vishnu and his office is threatening YouTubers on the content

00:38:41that they're creating about your family, etc.

00:38:44Just to set the record straight.

00:38:45Can you tell us as to what exactly went behind the scenes?

00:38:48I mean, where did this even come from?

00:38:49See, we never did.

00:38:50We just hired about three companies which do the reputation management.

00:38:53And we said, these are the actors who have been targeted.

00:38:58You know, Allu Arjun was targeted.

00:38:59Junior NTR was targeted.

00:39:01Mahesh Babu was targeted.

00:39:04Ramcharan Tej was targeted.

00:39:06And there were another couple of heroines were targeted.

00:39:09We gave the list to them and say, first, make a list of all the YouTube

00:39:13people and the Instagram and Twitter who've been harassing these people.

00:39:18Constructive criticism is different.

00:39:20Personal attacks are different.

00:39:22So then we got the entire list.

00:39:24Then we brought the list on.

00:39:25We hired Anand and Anand in Delhi out of my own money.

00:39:29I didn't take money from any of these actors or the association, nothing.

00:39:33My own money.

00:39:34I spent lakhs of my money.

00:39:36I went to them and said, this is it.

00:39:38Now, how do I address this?

00:39:40They said, it's going to be a class action suit.

00:39:42We'll start with you first.

00:39:44OK. And we went, we presented to the court and we got the order.

00:39:49Once we got the order, the companies did what they had to.

00:39:52They sent it to YouTube.

00:39:53They sent it to Twitter and see YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.

00:39:57They do not, as a company policy, they do not promote negativity.

00:40:02But we human beings are negative in nature.

00:40:05Yes. OK. Sarcasm and jokes are fine.

00:40:08But many of them do not realize that they are hurting the opposite person.

00:40:13So such people got the notices.

00:40:15Either you pull them down or as per the law, they pull the channel.

00:40:19That doesn't amount to threatening.

00:40:21And they thought I was threatening.

00:40:23You know, the legal notice which went from the high court from Delhi,

00:40:26they thought was threatening.

00:40:27Well, if that's what you think I am, go ahead.

00:40:30So be it.

00:40:31But coming to a more recent controversy, something that

00:40:35you haven't spoken about publicly prior to this.

00:40:38When it comes to the Pushpa Stampede case,

00:40:41I'm not going to ask you to pick a side.

00:40:42The matter is sub judice.

00:40:43I think both of us are not the right people to call the shots on who was right,

00:40:46who was wrong.

00:40:48But from an actor's standpoint,

00:40:51how responsible do you believe a celebrity can be held

00:40:55for a mishap like this?

00:40:57I'm not talking about...

00:40:58See, only after this issue,

00:41:02many of us are realizing

00:41:05that we could be responsible for such an act also.

00:41:10It's really unfortunate this thing happened.

00:41:14And it is a butterfly effect.

00:41:16One incident happened and this entire thing

00:41:20went haywire to a stage

00:41:23where Bunny, who had no direct involvement in this,

00:41:26had to be arrested, spend a night in jail, come back, be on bail.

00:41:30The trauma he and his family went through, the trauma he went through,

00:41:34the entire film industry shared, because we were all quite close.

00:41:38We were shaken.

00:41:38Tomorrow it could happen to me.

00:41:40And now, tomorrow, I don't know if I want to go out in public.

00:41:44I don't know if any of the top actors would want to go out in public.

00:41:46See, he went to the theater to watch a movie because he would love

00:41:50to hear the audience reaction, people screaming for him,

00:41:53screaming for him, hooting for him.

00:41:55That's a different high.

00:41:56Nothing gives a better high than that.

00:41:58Hundred percent.

00:41:59OK, and that's unfortunate such a thing happened.

00:42:02But now we are realizing

00:42:03that we could also be responsible for such mishaps

00:42:05and we got to be more careful in the future.

00:42:08Coming to a follow up question to that, Vishnu,

00:42:12while what happened there, permissions were given, not given.

00:42:14That's for the authorities to decide.

00:42:16I don't think I want to put you on the spot for that.

00:42:18But there was a larger narrative that came in where somebody's

00:42:22humanity was being questioned.

00:42:24The content of the movie was being questioned.

00:42:26How is it that a protagonist can play a smuggler in the movie?

00:42:29And these are the same people who at one point encouraged the movie, right?

00:42:32I mean, if you're...

00:42:33See, when you want to target anybody

00:42:38or when you want to pinpoint and push a mistake,

00:42:42anything and everything would be a problem.

00:42:45You understand?

00:42:46So nitpicking started happening accordingly.

00:42:49Everything will happen.

00:42:50When you look at a broader picture, everything will be fine.

00:42:52But when you get into the bottom of it and look at it under a microscope,

00:42:57you will find, you know, mistakes.

00:43:00You might find things which offend one group.

00:43:04But all that is, you know, you should brush it on the carpet

00:43:06and just go ahead with it.

00:43:08You know, we, we actors are very soft targets.

00:43:11You know, the minute you, you know, you attack an actor,

00:43:14you get into the limelight.

00:43:15And for your, you know, personal gains,

00:43:18you would want to attack a person who's very popular.

00:43:23I don't, you know, so I don't know who did what,

00:43:26but this happened.

00:43:28This will keep happening.

00:43:29Attacking actors will keep happening.

00:43:32We'll have to take it with a pinch of salt and move on.

00:43:34Coming to that, my last question,

00:43:35before I take you to a fun segment with a rapid fire.

00:43:40The authorities, be it here, be it Andhra Pradesh,

00:43:42be it any other state in the country and the film industry

00:43:44have always worked hand in hand, right?

00:43:46You're also the president of the Artists Association.

00:43:49Do you believe there is that synergy that still exists at this point in time?

00:43:53There is always a synergy.

00:43:54Any government which comes,

00:43:56every association works hand in hand with them.

00:43:59There could be misunderstandings,

00:44:01which is the job of the elected body or the representatives

00:44:05from the film industry to go and clear the misunderstanding

00:44:09and have a proper friendly relationship.

00:44:12That's the reason why there are associations within the industry.

00:44:15And the predominant job is to make sure

00:44:18the industry runs like a well-oiled machine.

00:44:21Got it.

00:44:22Now, we've got a small segment that is planned on myth or fact, right?

00:44:27I'd like you to tell us whether you believe this is a fact or a myth

00:44:31and also why, if you want to elaborate on that, that's your choice.

00:44:35First, of course, second generation actors

00:44:39lack the conviction because it has come too easy to them.

00:44:41I mean, they don't realize the value of the opportunity at hand.

00:44:47It's false. It's false.

00:44:48It's a myth, apparently. Got it.

00:44:51This is a very sensitive question.

00:44:52I mean, feminism is limited to ladies first, right?

00:44:56I mean, the reason I ask you this question, I'll have to elaborate because it's sensitive.

00:45:01The way it is being practiced today may not be the way it was intended

00:45:04when that word was coined in the first place.

00:45:06So what is your definition of feminism?

00:45:09And do you believe it is limited to saying ladies first?

00:45:12So there's a lot of other connotations

00:45:14in terms of being an actual feminist in the first place.

00:45:16See, I really don't understand being a feminist

00:45:19or anything of that sort.

00:45:20You know, these words,

00:45:22you know, are quite confusing for me.

00:45:27But I'll tell you one thing.

00:45:30Anybody who disrespects a woman

00:45:33does not, you know,

00:45:37shouldn't have a place in the society.

00:45:39I believe in Shakti.

00:45:41You know, the one nature is feminine.

00:45:45OK, and the whole world starts if you go back.

00:45:48I am a Hindu.

00:45:49I'm a very strong and staunch Hindu.

00:45:51I practice Hinduism and I believe in Hinduism and I breathe Hinduism.

00:45:59In Telugu, there's a saying,

00:46:00Shrishti ki moola karno, Adhi Parashakti.

00:46:03Shakti is a woman.

00:46:06And when you look at the feminine,

00:46:11you should make sure that they get the first priority,

00:46:15because one thing is that one thing,

00:46:20one simple thing I'll tell you, which nobody else can do,

00:46:23no man can do, is that a woman gives birth to a new life.

00:46:28OK, and that entire process

00:46:32is God's gift.

00:46:33It's God's will, the way the baby is formed,

00:46:37the way they conceive and the pains they go through,

00:46:41you know, and to be able to do that in the first place throughout their life

00:46:44for that matter.

00:46:45OK, and that transforms them and that changes them.

00:46:49And the minute they have a kid,

00:46:52you know how they transform from being just a

00:46:56lady, a girl to becoming a mother.

00:47:00And then, you know how the motherly instincts kick in.

00:47:05Those things, if you actually look at it, we men are not,

00:47:09will not even measure up to their ankle.

00:47:13OK, so to give priorities to women is a foregone thing.

00:47:17You must look at it, you know, treat them with respect.

00:47:21So I think you've pretty much answered the question.

00:47:23You believe you don't believe in such fancy terms such as feminism, etc.

00:47:27Give respect is what you believe in.

00:47:29Tollywood is one family without any discrimination.

00:47:32Is it a myth or a fact?

00:47:34What do you mean by discrimination?

00:47:36By discrimination, I mean to say there are there are divisions

00:47:40within within families, within actors as well.

00:47:44See, there is very healthy competition across every industry in the country.

00:47:48Are they one when needed?

00:47:49That's of course, they're all one. We're all one.

00:47:52We all live in our own bubbles.

00:47:53But when it when it when push comes to shove, everybody are one.

00:47:57Got it. So you say it's a it's a fact.

00:48:03Actors like sportspersons should also retire

00:48:07when being asked why and not why not.

00:48:10I agree to that.

00:48:11But but the beauty of being an actor is that even until you're 85 or 90

00:48:16and if you still, you know, are able to do what you're able to, you can.

00:48:21You transition from being a lead actor to a supporting

00:48:25lead supporting actor, then to becoming a cameo.

00:48:29And even that one scene you come, people clap.

00:48:31One of the greatest example today I'll give you is Mr. Amitabh Bachchan.

00:48:36OK, and I think he's right now at 83 years old

00:48:39and still he does movies and shows which people even half his age do not,

00:48:45you know, think that's because he's got a passion for it.

00:48:48OK, my dad, he's, you know, he's 72 years old now.

00:48:52And the kind of energy he has while filming,

00:48:56I don't have, I envy that. Mr. Rajnikanth,

00:48:59you know, he's 74 years old, you know, he look at the energy.

00:49:03Mr. Kamal Haasan, all these people.

00:49:05My God, why our legend, Mr. Rakinne Nagesh Rao sir.

00:49:09At the time he was passing out, he gave a statement.

00:49:14OK, during the shoot of his last film, Manam,

00:49:18he called the media and said, I'm with cancer.

00:49:20It's a matter of time. I'm passing away.

00:49:22Yes. You know, if

00:49:24he cannot be an inspiration and what he spoke cannot be an inspiration.

00:49:27I don't think you can look at anywhere else to be an inspiration.

00:49:30Another rather popular debate is

00:49:34that the life of actors or celebrities, so to say, is as flowery

00:49:38as we seem it to be, and they never face mental health issues.

00:49:42The reason I touch upon this aspect is because, as a doctor once told me,

00:49:46this generation neglects two things, mental and dental health.

00:49:49If that was not the case, then we would have been much healthier as a population.

00:49:53So do you believe this is a myth or a fact?

00:49:54I mean, do... No, no, no, no, no, no, no. It's a myth.

00:49:58Every one of them have issues in the head

00:50:01because we are judged constantly.

00:50:04We are criticized every day.

00:50:06Today, you're coming and taking my interview.

00:50:07Tomorrow, if I do not have a brand value, you won't even come and knock on my door.

00:50:12OK, it's a fact of it.

00:50:13And to take the highs and lows, your

00:50:17your mental strength should be on a different level.

00:50:21Many people break and after they break...

00:50:24They achieve stardom.

00:50:25And then when that's snatched away, it's something that...

00:50:27It will go away.

00:50:29Nobody can sustain.

00:50:31You want to climb the Himalaya mountain, you climb there,

00:50:33but you cannot stay there forever.

00:50:36You will have to climb down and again, you'll have to climb up.

00:50:39OK, but how you climb up, how you climb down, how well you can sustain up there

00:50:45is what sets you apart.

00:50:47And mentally, you've got to be very strong.

00:50:49Some people listen to music.

00:50:50Some people, you know, instantly be very strong in their head.

00:50:55And you need to have a willpower which normal people cannot have.

00:50:59From your experience, any message you'd like to give to our viewers in the sense

00:51:03not only the past few weeks or months, whatever has happened,

00:51:05but personally, a lot of things must have happened in your life in the past.

00:51:09Any phase where you found it difficult to cope with what was happening?

00:51:12I do find inner situations where it's difficult to cope.

00:51:15But once when I get into a situation, I look around

00:51:18and I see that a lot of people are looking up to me.

00:51:20Yes. You know, I cannot lose hope.

00:51:22And in my mind, I believe in one thing.

00:51:26You know, there cannot be any problem without a solution.

00:51:30Everything will have a solution.

00:51:32But for the solution to happen, you should hold your ground and stay calm.

00:51:38And panicking at anything

00:51:41will not derive any result.

00:51:44Now, the last myth or fact is related to your movie as well.

00:51:47I know where this came from, but every now and then we hear this

00:51:51from a certain section of people who are into substance abuse,

00:51:54saying Lord Shiva used to consume cannabis.

00:51:57Now, with your research and your length of research,

00:52:01I'd like for you to settle the record in terms of that.

00:52:03I mean, if you have pounced upon any such fact,

00:52:05because I've tried researching as much as possible,

00:52:07I couldn't find a single scripture which said...

00:52:09I haven't really thought about that or,

00:52:16you know, read about it,

00:52:19about whether Lord Shiva took cannabis or whatever it is.

00:52:22I do not know on it.

00:52:25Honestly, I do not because I don't go that thing on it.

00:52:29But, you know, honestly, if you look at it,

00:52:31if you go back to history, recent history also,

00:52:35you know, I know I'm probably going to be controversial.

00:52:38In India, taking cannabis was not illegal until the 70s.

00:52:42Until the American tobacco companies decided to, you know,

00:52:46pressure the then governments or powers to be to classify cannabis as a drug.

00:52:53Along with the likes of cocaine.

00:52:54Yes. So that the sale of tobacco will be higher.

00:52:58Now, some 50, 60 years later, they realize that,

00:53:01oh, God, tobacco is actually killing people.

00:53:03And they have legalized it.

00:53:04Yeah. And cannabis did not kill people.

00:53:07You know, does not kill people.

00:53:09And it doesn't make it any violent, anybody violent.

00:53:13So that's the reason why you see them,

00:53:16you know, starting to open up across the world.

00:53:19And I think even in India, in, let's say, in a decade or so,

00:53:23cannabis will be legal.

00:53:25There is a stature among legislators also.

00:53:27In fact, Mr. Shasthi Tharu, I remember penning down an article with somebody else

00:53:30as a co-author, went on to say, we've taught the world what cannabis is.

00:53:33Yeah. We are the ones who have.

00:53:35No, no, we will.

00:53:36You know, in 10, 15 years, once they realize the medicinal values of it,

00:53:39you know, like in cannabis, there are two things CBD and THC.

00:53:43Yes. Many cancer patients who go through hell during chemotherapy,

00:53:49you know, one of the biggest medicine for them is CBD related

00:53:53bombs, muscle relaxers, tablets, which they need to take.

00:53:57There was a huge campaign when a 10 year old kid in London

00:54:01who had cancer and he wasn't given the CBD medicine

00:54:04and he had to suffer a lot of pain and passed away.

00:54:07So that brought in a legislation saying that, OK, yeah, for health use,

00:54:11you can bring in cannabis.

00:54:13And most of Europe also has CBD.

00:54:16It's a matter of time.

00:54:17Even in India, not many people know.

00:54:20In some temples, they'll give it as here's a prasad.

00:54:22Yes. But that's bhang.

00:54:24OK, but that's another form of thing.

00:54:27Coming to, I'm going to take the name of a personality here.

00:54:30I'd like you to describe that personality in a word or a phrase.

00:54:33That's your choice.

00:54:35Prabhas.

00:54:38Prabhas, a grizzly bear.

00:54:42Fair enough. Akshay Kumar.

00:54:48Ah, as an animal, Mr. Akshay Kumar.

00:54:51I would probably look at him like a cheetah.

00:54:53OK. Allu Arjun.

00:54:58Hmm. Allu Arjun is the.

00:55:05Yeah, which animal do I think I need, I think.

00:55:09You can move away from animals, though.

00:55:10Any term that you feel that describes him.

00:55:14Any term which describes.

00:55:15Yeah. One word or a phrase that comes.

00:55:18The first thing that comes to your head. Hard work.

00:55:20OK. OK. Pavan Kalyan.

00:55:27And how do I say?

00:55:31Unrelenting, you know, vision.

00:55:35I mean, does that come from the fact that he's stuck on to his political path

00:55:38irrespective of certain losses that he's faced over the years?

00:55:41See, anybody who decides to have a public life

00:55:44is not going to have an easy life.

00:55:46It's going to be very, very difficult for them.

00:55:48But who endures the difficulty and holds that ground

00:55:51will be remembered in history.

00:55:53And Mr. Pavan Kalyan is one of the person who will be remembered in history

00:55:56for the grit and determination he had.

00:55:59The next person is away from movies, away from politics, everything.

00:56:02Nitish Kumar.

00:56:03The cricketer. Yes. Hope.

00:56:06I mean, I'll have to say this.

00:56:08I mean, as somebody who's played cricket myself professionally as well.

00:56:11Finally, we see somebody from both the Telugu states go up there.

00:56:15Mr. KTR went to the extent of saying, I see a future captain in him

00:56:18for the Indian team.

00:56:19Even Karthik was there. Yes.

00:56:22You know, he was a phenomenal player.

00:56:24And we did have a few games.

00:56:26MSK Prasad had played.

00:56:28And of course, our favorite Azharuddin was there.

00:56:31Yes. You know, Azharbhai was there and Venkatpati Rajguru.

00:56:34He was he was my favorite.

00:56:36He was there.

00:56:37And of course, Rohit Sharma also, he's half Telugu.

00:56:40So our Telugu man is there.

00:56:41So there have been Telugu.

00:56:43But Nitish Kumar Reddy is a surprise package for all of us

00:56:46because we haven't heard of him in the league matches or in the IPLs or anything.

00:56:49Even Ranji for that matter.

00:56:50You know, when he comes and he delivers, I mean, it's beautiful.

00:56:53Especially when you get to know the story of how his father sacrificed his job

00:56:57and sort of was.

00:56:58See, that's a beautiful thing.

00:57:00All fathers sacrifice for us.

00:57:03OK, when you forget the sacrifices your fathers have made.

00:57:08And try to overpower them thinking you're something today because, you know.

00:57:15You're one or two, you know, you have a bit of popularity.

00:57:19You have to remember, if it wasn't for our fathers,

00:57:23most of us are not here today and to disrespect them.

00:57:27God will never forgive them.

00:57:29And I see the relationship, what Nitish Kumar and his father have.

00:57:32And it's beautiful.

00:57:33And that is a lesson for many of them.

00:57:37How to respect their fathers.

00:57:38Do you believe your brother's forgotten your father's sacrifice?

00:57:41Coming back to the family, I wouldn't want to talk about that.

00:57:43Fair enough. I'll leave it there.

00:57:44No, the reason being, I just thought it meant something else.

00:57:48But you corrected me.

00:57:49I'm Jagan Mohan Reddy.

00:57:52One word of praise.

00:57:54Oh, that man.

00:57:57That man shows that

00:58:01grit and determination.

00:58:05OK, Prakash Raj.

00:58:10Are you just asking?

00:58:11Yeah, I'm just asking.

00:58:14That was a good one.

00:58:16No, I've actually had a larger question on him.

00:58:19He's a good actor.

00:58:23Both on and off the screen, you mean?

00:58:25I wouldn't say off the screen.

00:58:27Definitely a good actor on screen.

00:58:29Got it.

00:58:30And off the screen also.

00:58:32He's not a bad person.

00:58:35I've known him, I respect him.

00:58:36He's not a bad person.

00:58:38Just that probably I don't align with what he believes in.

00:58:42So you guys have that rapport where you agree to disagree.

00:58:45Yes, yes, yes.

00:58:46It's not as the media seems it to me that you're going at him

00:58:48and he's coming back at you or whatever.

00:58:50Fair enough.

00:58:51The next person, of course, is Mr. Chiganjee, the mega star himself.

00:58:54A legend.

00:58:57Rana.

00:58:59He's been doing a lot of talk shows lately, so I had to ask you.

00:59:01Rana, Rana.

00:59:07Is a friend of all.

00:59:09A people pleaser.

00:59:10Not a people pleaser.

00:59:11I don't know whether people pleaser, but he's a friend to all.

00:59:16Will Smith.

00:59:19Oh, man.

00:59:21Will Smith.

00:59:24No doubt, for me personally, he's one of my favorites.

00:59:28Fair enough.

00:59:30Now, just a few questions to get down with this segment.

00:59:34Your favorite Telugu actor?

00:59:35You have to name him.

00:59:35My dad.

00:59:36OK, this generation, if I had to ask you that.

00:59:40In Telugu?

00:59:41Yes.

00:59:42There are quite a few.

00:59:43You can give me two names.

00:59:44One Telugu, one India white.

00:59:46Vijay Sethupathi.

00:59:49You sort of stole that answer from me.

00:59:50I'll tell you why a lot of people have this

00:59:53psychophancy about only protagonists being actors that they can love.

00:59:57I still remember one of my favorite movies in the recent past is Vikram.

01:00:01And I still remember that intro scene of Vijay Sethupathi.

01:00:03And I don't believe anybody could have pulled it off.

01:00:05Nobody, nobody with guts will.

01:00:07Nobody, I'm telling you, right?

01:00:08Bare chested man having the guts to pull that off.

01:00:12No, not that.

01:00:13His attitude is something very, very, very, you know,

01:00:17I met Vijay Sethupathi very quietly.

01:00:20He was shooting for a Telugu film here in Hyderabad

01:00:25with Vaishnav Tej.

01:00:29Vaishnav Tej came.

01:00:30I was shooting parallel in Sadhi Studios.

01:00:32He came and said, Anna, come, come.

01:00:34What movie is this?

01:00:36Then I found out it was Vijay Sethupathi.

01:00:37OK.

01:00:38They said, yes.

01:00:40I don't think he knows.

01:00:41He doesn't need to know me because I'm a Telugu actor.

01:00:43And probably he never saw any of my films.

01:00:46He was in his caravan.

01:00:47OK.

01:00:48I told all my makeup men, ask him, none of you come.

01:00:52And I, you know, during lunch break, I took out my makeup,

01:00:55changed my clothes, just put a tracksuit and

01:00:59totally, you know, scruffed my hair.

01:01:02And I went and knocked on, you know, I went there, people stopped me.

01:01:06The local Telugu people were wondering what was happening.

01:01:09Because they recognized you.

01:01:09They recognized me.

01:01:10Telugu people, Telugu people know me.

01:01:12So I, you know, by the time my guys were like,

01:01:15I was knocking on the door.

01:01:18That guy was like, sir is relaxing.

01:01:20You cannot go like that.

01:01:23Those guys suddenly over there, one of the local crew members,

01:01:27they came running.

01:01:28They went on to that guy.

01:01:30And I was like, I was like in Telugu,

01:01:32chappad, chappad, daijaisu chappad, nena utke kalavala anukonda, chappad.

01:01:36And I say, that guy realized I was somebody.

01:01:41OK.

01:01:41Did he know who you were?

01:01:42But he realized somebody because people were suddenly running

01:01:44and saying, wait, I said, no, no, no.

01:01:46And I, you know, I'm just, I come here regularly.

01:01:50I'm a fan of sir, I want to meet him.

01:01:53And he was kind enough to come down.

01:01:56And I said, I'm, you know, I'm a fan.

01:01:59You know, I just he looked at me for two minutes.

01:02:02I don't think he believed what I said that I was an actor.

01:02:06But I said, no, he thought I was an actor.

01:02:10But he wasn't able to believe whatever bullshit I was trying to say.

01:02:13But one thing I was like, I'm a huge fan of yours.

01:02:16You know, I'm glad I was just coming in the studio.

01:02:18I just work in the VFX department.

01:02:22So I just came to say hi, you know, I just shook his hand.

01:02:26And he was like, OK, OK, sir, OK, sir.

01:02:30Oh, I hope I meet you in the future and I get to work with you.

01:02:35I just shook his hand and quietly came out.

01:02:37But I'll have to give you this, Vishnu.

01:02:39I mean, you started by saying I was an ugly duckling.

01:02:42Now you're saying you went ahead.

01:02:44You know, you're starting your own self, right?

01:02:46You're going and meeting a star that way and saying I'm a big fan, etc.

01:02:49I know of a lot of people who are celebrities or rather think they're celebrities

01:02:54would never do this because they believe that they need to

01:02:58place themselves on a pedestal and not come across or they can't be fanboys ever.

01:03:03So I'll have to give you that.

01:03:04But it's pure respect that you're very realistic about.

01:03:08Oh, I'm very scared to go and approach people also.

01:03:10I can prank like this mentally.

01:03:11You know, if it's not Vishnu, I would do a lot of things.

01:03:14But in public, I'm very, very scared.

01:03:17In public, I get very nervous.

01:03:18See, many of them think that I'm arrogant because you don't see me

01:03:21in many functions or events or anything.

01:03:23But they don't realize that I'm very, very shy.

01:03:26Socially awkward.

01:03:27I'm very socially awkward.

01:03:28I don't go, I go there.

01:03:30OK, what will I talk? Your rule is I have to go to a wedding.

01:03:32OK, I straightly go.

01:03:33Congratulations, bloody fool.

01:03:35Why are you getting married in my hand?

01:03:37All the best.

01:03:38Then I'm like, I'm out of that venue.

01:03:40You know, I just walk and get out.

01:03:42In between, anybody stops, I'll be like, I'm fine.

01:03:44I think your interviews are going to get you into trouble

01:03:46because the last interview you said,

01:03:47anybody who's married has to take his wife's name.

01:03:50Now you're saying, bloody fool, you're getting married.

01:03:52Yeah, I keep looking.

01:03:53You know, there's some of my friends, you know, who are not married.

01:03:54I keep pushing them.

01:03:55Get married, get married.

01:03:57You know, and after they get married, they see like,

01:03:59I know why you asked us to get married.

01:04:01Yeah, why should be I the one who's always jailed?

01:04:03You also can be jailed, right?

01:04:05Freedom has to be given.

01:04:06You sign off your freedom the day you're married.

01:04:09God, that's a huge thing to say.

01:04:11Of course.

01:04:11Is that what happened to you?

01:04:12It happens to every married man.

01:04:14Tell them, ask them to say no.

01:04:16Anybody who's saying no is like...

01:04:17You're sort of giving me shivers

01:04:19because I'm sort of entering that club right now.

01:04:20You have to, man.

01:04:22That's a great feeling.

01:04:23At the end of the day, when you come back to your house

01:04:25and you know, there's someone waiting for you and there's someone...

01:04:27Who cares, can you only want...

01:04:28Yeah, and that's a great feeling.

01:04:29That's a phase of life.

01:04:30See, all the jokes set aside on marriages.

01:04:32It's very popular just to talk about.

01:04:35You know, to have someone with you

01:04:38who you haven't met in the majority of your life

01:04:43and all of a sudden, your souls click

01:04:46and you decide to spend the rest of your life together.

01:04:48That feeling, my brother.

01:04:51Nothing gives you...

01:04:52It cannot be replaced with anything else.

01:04:54Going back to my questions, the GOAT of Indian cinema.

01:04:57Who do you think is the greatest of all time?

01:04:59My dad.

01:05:00Fair enough.

01:05:02Bahubali or Pushpa, if you had to pick one?

01:05:04Your favorite, content wise or you can tell us

01:05:07on what parameter you're picking.

01:05:09I don't know.

01:05:09Both are my favorites, but I would probably say

01:05:13if I have to have an edge,

01:05:16I would say,

01:05:20you know, maybe Bahubali

01:05:22because that was the first of the thing

01:05:23which actually pushed the borders.

01:05:25But Pushpa also is equally great

01:05:27because they did not go on to something

01:05:31which they took a contemporary subject

01:05:33and made the borders big.

01:05:34Yes.

01:05:35It was not expected to be this larger than life

01:05:39movie as it turned out to be eventually,

01:05:41at least with the first one.

01:05:41No, it was a regular commercial film

01:05:43which was told brilliantly

01:05:45in a contemporary stage

01:05:46which people love the characterizations.

01:05:48Exactly.

01:05:49Exactly.

01:05:52Well, I mean,

01:05:54the same question, I think you've answered it already.

01:05:56But let me ask you,

01:05:57money making forged sequel or one magnum opus?

01:06:01Whatever the writer and director and producer

01:06:03believes in is what it is.

01:06:05Favorite actress?

01:06:08Any given day, it's

01:06:09Miss Savithri.

01:06:11Oh, you've got all age old favorites.

01:06:15Oh, I love Miss Suryakantam also.

01:06:18Oh my God, what an actress she is.

01:06:20And

01:06:24another actress, which I think

01:06:26is a powerful actor is

01:06:28Miss Radhika.

01:06:30She's a powerhouse.

01:06:33And I, you know, personally,

01:06:35I like Shobanagar very well.

01:06:38She's very, very cool.

01:06:40And one woman, even if

01:06:43even when I look at her,

01:06:44sometimes my heart just flutters,

01:06:46is Miss Kushboo.

01:06:47You have to see her, you know,

01:06:49in the film, oh my God,

01:06:52you know,

01:06:53you know, my heart still flutters

01:06:54when I look at her.

01:06:55She's a, you know,

01:06:57my heart still flutters when I look at her.

01:06:58She looked like, why do you have

01:06:59this goofy smile on your face?

01:07:00I'm like, no, nothing.

01:07:02Oh my God, you're so cute.

01:07:06Okay.

01:07:07Your biggest rival in your opinion,

01:07:09and by rivalry, I don't mean that

01:07:12you both are at each other's throats.

01:07:14I just mean biggest competition,

01:07:15so to say.

01:07:15There's no competition for me.

01:07:16And biggest ally in the industry.

01:07:18Everybody are my allies.

01:07:19Everybody is an ally.

01:07:22Lastly,

01:07:23this could come across as me

01:07:24fetching for a controversy,

01:07:25but on a personal level,

01:07:27you're pallying with most guys

01:07:28in the industry.

01:07:30If you had to pick

01:07:31three or four big families

01:07:33in Tollywood, so to say,

01:07:34if you had to pick one

01:07:35between the Nandamuris and the Konyadellas,

01:07:37who would it be?

01:07:39Could be your personal relationship,

01:07:40could be your...

01:07:41My personal relationship,

01:07:42as I grew up,

01:07:44was more closer

01:07:45to

01:07:47Kalyan Ram,

01:07:48Junior NTR,

01:07:49or Mr. Balakrishna Garu,

01:07:51because, you know,

01:07:52I hang out with him.

01:07:53He's more...

01:07:54You know,

01:07:55these are the people I

01:07:56hang out with.

01:07:58Bunny is a good friend.

01:07:59We went to school together.

01:08:02Charan is

01:08:03a good friend.

01:08:05But I talk to Bunny

01:08:06more than I talk to Charan.

01:08:07Right.

01:08:08Of course, Aayudhanam Tej

01:08:09is like my little brother.

01:08:11Vaishnav Tej is a brother.

01:08:13So my relationship over there is,

01:08:14you know, on either side,

01:08:17you know, we all went to school

01:08:18and came out together.

01:08:19But

01:08:20I don't know,

01:08:21he's my best friend.

01:08:22We both went to school

01:08:23and came out together.

01:08:24But

01:08:25more or less Kalyan Ram

01:08:27is probably one of the closest

01:08:28friends I have.

01:08:29Okay.

01:08:30Last thing

01:08:31I would like to conclude

01:08:32with this,

01:08:33I would

01:08:34maybe take four or five names.

01:08:35I would

01:08:36want you to give one positive

01:08:37and one negative

01:08:38aspect

01:08:39about each of these people

01:08:40in your opinion.

01:08:42Mr. Achyut Kumar.

01:08:44Positive?

01:08:45One positive, one negative.

01:08:47Positive is probably his...

01:08:49You know,

01:08:51negative I don't know I haven't felt there was any negative per se in that I

01:08:57haven't it come across you know in the short span which I have with him it's

01:09:03probably because I haven't seen anything per se for me to. Fair enough

01:09:09Prabhas. Positive his heart negative his heart. Gets emotionally

01:09:20attached to soon you mean? He has a very very large heart and that will be taken

01:09:27advantage of. That will be misused by others around him. He's a

01:09:32wonderful wonderful wonderful human being. Your father? My father. His positive

01:09:38and negative is the same. The love he gives. Got it.

01:09:44I mean same you mean say that it could be misused or it could be taken advantage of.

01:09:47That's the same thing with Prabhas. Prabhas and father that's the same thing

01:09:51they give too much love. If I were to ask you the same question about

01:09:54yourself? My positive and negative. My positive is probably my positive

01:10:01attitude. My negative is that if I don't like someone or something I go into my

01:10:05shell and I can never talk to them. I'm assuming you like me in that case because we're

01:10:09having such an elaborate discussion. Lastly I would I would want your opinion

01:10:14on Pawan Kalyan and Allu Arjun. One positive one negative in your opinion.

01:10:18They both are hard workers. They have the grit and determination and you have at

01:10:23the stage where they are today if it isn't for their hard work and their

01:10:28strong will they will not be there. So that's a lesson people should learn that

01:10:33from all the actors are all the people who are at that level sports persons

01:10:36politicians or the actors who we are all spoken about. You should look at the grit

01:10:42and determination and the hard work. You don't see the hard work these people put.

01:10:47You should understand the hard work. They are like normal people like you. You

01:10:51know you see the eventuality of the result. You don't see the journey. You

01:10:55have to see the journey. The brickbats you know the insults they face we all

01:11:01face but we just brush it under the carpet and we stand strong and

01:11:07My last question to you and I think I saved this for the last

01:11:12intentionally. You could choose not to answer like we've established the rule

01:11:17already. The one incident which happened with a reporter. I would as a son how did

01:11:26you react to that incident? The reason being like you said Tollywood becomes

01:11:30one when when push comes to shove. So is the media industry. Like we all at that

01:11:36point felt for the person who was there. Now there was a flip side to that right.

01:11:40Why was that individual inside private property? Could he have done better

01:11:44by staying out? What was your take on this entire incident? Yes there was an

01:11:50apology issued. You guys reached out to the family. Everything said and done. That

01:11:54one incident did not translate really well to people who are watching it

01:11:58because they didn't know about the different sides of the story that or

01:12:01what eventually happened there right. We were just looking at it from a camera's

01:12:05lens. What was your take on this and do you think it is fair for people to

01:12:11deduce this aspect that okay multiple times Mohan Babu sir's temper has been

01:12:17questioned has been in the limelight. Maybe it's true etc. What's your take on

01:12:20all of this? See the media and so I can't go very in-depth on this and criticize

01:12:26anybody because right now the matter is in subroutine. But I'll tell you one

01:12:32thing. Everybody knows about father's temper and everybody also knows that his

01:12:37temper lasts for two minutes. But forget it is father, forget it is Mr. Mohan Babu.

01:12:44When there is a family issue going on and you know the father is not in

01:12:50good terms with the son and the son is being wavered or son in his right he

01:12:56might he's thinking he's right. But as a third party what happened to the

01:13:01humanity? Just because you have a camera and mic in your hand does that give you

01:13:06the right to barge into anybody's house and question them? If you look at the

01:13:12video also very clearly my father came up with folded hands. The video is

01:13:17still there out in public. Folded hands saying that please it's a family issue

01:13:21do not come into my house. These people barged into my house and hit him with

01:13:28the mic on the face. Look at that. And that's when dad lost his cool. I am not

01:13:33justifying my dad taking the mic and swinging it. But what happened to the

01:13:39humanity the media had? What happened to it? Yes you wanted to

01:13:46make you know for the media it was like a Big Boss show. You know it was like oh

01:13:50you know we suddenly have a happening celebrity issue you know free-to-air

01:13:55content. Let's get more eyeballs let us say something and they went on and they

01:13:59went and did this. I'm not blaming one channel or one individual.

01:14:03But journalism is such a wonderful profession because if it is not for

01:14:10journalists, if it is not for the legal system there would have been a lot of

01:14:16chaos in the society. So they both have very very very huge responsibility.

01:14:22Journalism has a huge responsibility. Because sometimes you know where some

01:14:30political powers or something wrong is going on which is being brushed under

01:14:34the carpet. It is because of journalism those things come to

01:14:38highlight and then law takes its course and there are many incidences where

01:14:42people's opinions were changed because of it. For example even if you look at

01:14:45the Arab Spring it came from the social media. And that is a power

01:14:50journalists wield. In fact in the last 10 years I can I personally covered a lot

01:14:54of cases where media was the result things turned around. Yes but many of

01:14:59them misunderstand that the power which the journalists have stops at a certain

01:15:05level. You don't barge into people's house and come on forget about the

01:15:11Western media. Aren't you Indians? Don't you have your mothers and fathers? You know

01:15:17how is it that you forget you how would you like if I barged into you know that

01:15:23particular person's house when he and his father were fighting and go and

01:15:28question his father. Whether his father would react in the same way was

01:15:32questionable but is it right on my part to do it? You know so as in any

01:15:40constitution I have the right to defend my house. But I'm not saying that

01:15:45you're allowed to hit anybody you're allowed to you know hit him that's

01:15:48that's not right. But over the last four decades all the media people have most

01:15:54of them who are there today grew up watching dad. Yes. And they know what he

01:15:58is and whether he respects media or he disrespects media people know it. I'll

01:16:03leave it to them to judge whether what had happened was right or wrong. This

01:16:08question wasn't actually planned but I took it took a piece from what you just

01:16:11said. There is this larger-than-life debate in India right now which know

01:16:16about an issue specific stance right. There's this obsession with if I believe

01:16:21in A ideology or B ideology everything that they do can be right or everything

01:16:26the opposite side does can be wrong. Do you as a human or somebody who has a

01:16:30voice that is heard by millions of people believe that what we lack today

01:16:34is a sense of having an issue specific stance that treat an issue on its merits

01:16:39and demerits and listen to all sides of the story rather than just jump the gun

01:16:44and and assume and and do what you're doing for clickbaits. See unfortunately

01:16:48what has happened is you know most of the media owned by politicians or people

01:16:55with political affiliations not just in India across the world. Let it take

01:16:58Washington Post or New York Times. They have their own biases and

01:17:02they you know for example New York Post, New York Times you know ready for them

01:17:08they're anti-India right from day one. I don't know why you know they get a hard

01:17:11on to just write anything you know negative about India. Recently I saw a negative piece on Kumbh, I mean how on earth could you turn out on this?

01:17:19So you know if anything coming on New York Post we know that New York Times is

01:17:23like okay they have a personal agenda to you know defame India take the you know

01:17:29whatever and some for odd reason they kind of think our neighboring

01:17:33countries are doing far better than India. Well it's their view but in this

01:17:36age of social media people are very smart enough to understand that

01:17:40editorial pieces are their own personal opinions. Yeah so you know I know the

01:17:47question I'm not qualified to answer the question what you said but you know gone

01:17:53are the days very few media organizations today present both sides

01:17:56of the case. The extent to which you can be neutral is I see if I don't look at

01:18:01the news I'm not informed. If I'm looking at the news I'm misinformed. I

01:18:05don't know what to do. You'll have to tell me what I have to do. Ultimately the

01:18:10headache will come and fall on me to form my own opinion look gathering all

01:18:14the news. So in a recent interview Mohan Babu sir I think went on to speak about

01:18:18the Prime Minister himself and he's been a very vocal advocate about movies that

01:18:24have something to do with India's story or mythological stuff. Would you show

01:18:30this movie to him, invite him? No I would love to show it I would love to show it

01:18:34this movie to him because whether you would ask me to show watch of my earlier

01:18:37movies would you want me to show in if I had a chance to the Prime Minister I

01:18:41would I would probably show only this movie. This is a movie which I would love

01:18:46for. Any communication you've established? No not yet. He's got enough work to do. But he does love your father from what we hear.

01:18:54They do have a very close relationship but I don't know if right now I

01:18:59would like to reach out to him and say please watch my movie I don't know but I

01:19:04would love to reach out to him. But I would love for him to watch a glimpse of the movie I

01:19:09would want him to do that. But thank you so much for giving us your time it was

01:19:13wonderful having this conversation I think you opened up about things that

01:19:17you may not have opened up about in the past. You've taken every question head on

01:19:21I think we also respect if you don't want to speak about certain things.

01:19:24Coming to the movie, love your trailer. Thank you. And I hope it achieves

01:19:29everything that you wanted to achieve and I hope this makes it as big as it

01:19:35needs to. Thank you. Thank you so much. I need that a lot.

Vishnu Manchu Exclusive Interview: കഴിവ് പരീക്ഷിക്കണമെങ്കില്‍ ഏറ്റവും മികച്ചവരുമായി മത്സരിക്കണം

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