Manchu Vishnuvardhan Babu, son of Dr Mohan Babu appears to be a promising hero in days to come. He also exhibits certain corporate tastes by joining hands with Reliance Big Pictures. It is his movie that has been identified for release in 35 theaters in Maharashtra as well as 5 theaters in Delhi. It is a rare distinct for a Telugu film. Vishnu shares a few moments chatting about his film ‘Saleem’ (releasing on December 11), the director YVS Chowdary, heroine Ileana, his father and his partners Reliance Big Pictures. Few excerpts are:
We are curious to know a bit about ‘Saleem’.
‘Saleem’, as you all know was a lover of Anarkali who had undergone different ordeal which achieving the results. Whereas this ‘Saleem’ in the movie is not just a lover but an adherent achiever that anything he does.
How did you get associated with YVS Chowdary?
I was to do a film for Krishna Vamsi but unfortunately that film did not materialize. I therefore approached YVS Chowdary and asked if he could do a project for me. My renewed shape and frame gave him an idea to start this film. I am really thankful for his immediate support and the movie has really got shaped very well under his direction.
Why did you approach only YVS Chowdary and not others?
Naturally his work! After K Raghavendra Rao garu, I’ve seen YVS Chowdary having an exclusive taste while directing song scenes. You can find a good impact of that in ‘Saleem’.
Does Ileana have any impact on your turning slim?
(Laughs). Oh no! It is Krishna Vamsi who wanted me to become slim for his project but it’s helping me here.
‘Dhee’ was your turning point. Now how do you compare ‘Saleem’ with Dhee’?
‘Dhee’, as you all know is a comedy based action flick. Whereas ‘Saleem’ is an emotion based film blended with thrill.
What is your father’s role in the film?
My father is known for characters based on humor mixed with vigor. Here also he plays a negative role as being a hurdle for Saleem’s every development. His arguments with the hero will surely be the highlight of the film. Infact, the dialogue writers have immensely enjoyed writing dialogues for him. One important thing is that his fans can see the rebirth of their old Mohan Babu in this movie.
What it is like working with daddy?
Oh! Fearsome! I used to shiver whenever I thought of acting in scenes involving his presence. Infact, I made it a point to YVS that I will not act if my father acts in the movie. But he was adamant and I had to give in. Even now, if I think of his dialogue delivery I sometimes wonder how I had to stand in front of him and deliver all kinds of counter arguments.
Can you give us some specifics of the film?
Well! It’s a film without any limit on budget. It is going to present a motor cycle chasing scene, first of its kind in Telugu cinema. A scene taken at Switzerland on runway will certainly thrill the audience. This apart, there are some shots taken on certain breath-taking locations, which you have seen only in James Bond films.
What about your Anarkali?
Yes! You all know she is naturally beautiful and with director’s creativity she will looks much more glamorous in ‘Saleem’. Coming to working with her, it was really a fun and fantastic experience.
Rs 23 crores appear to have gone into the film. How do you justify this?
Yes! This is the need of the story and you can see every penny of it in the frames.
Lakshmi Prasanna Pictures and Reliance Big are partners now. How this happened?
My father was a bit vary about this citing possibilities of misunderstanding and differences in tastes. But it was me who convinced him. I said, “Joining hands with corporate will always help in stretching the budget a bit and also venture into new concepts.”
What is your interest acting in multi-starrer?
I’m not against it. Manoj, my brother is now acting with All Arjun in ‘Vedam’ which might become a talk of the town. If well established heroes join hands that gives freedom to story writers to churn out creative stories. Infact this might be the future of the industry.
Any new projects?
I liked the script by Hemanth Madhukar and would be soon working on it.
