Actor Manchu Manoj created quite a flutter among the audiences with his "come hither act" in the recently released Pandavulu Pandavulu Thummeda, evoking a combination of surprise and laughter. While his performance has been lauded, the actor admits being thrilled with the crowd's response. "Listening to the whistles in the theatres, every time the character came on screen, was absolutely incredible. The crowds were going berserk chanting Mohini," shares Manoj, who stole the show playing a very "sexy lady" character in the movie.
Admittedly, the actor did not have many reservations about playing the female role. "Director Sriwass and Kona Venkat (screen writer) mulled over the idea a lot before suggesting it. They were like,"we will ask you something in a couple of days, please listen to it with an open mind." I really liked the idea and gave my nod. My favourite actors are NTR and Rajendra Prasad garu, who have both played women on screen. For me, it was a chance to emulate them," explains Manoj. But even after a month of wearing saris every day, the actor confesses he "hasn't picked up the art of draping one."The actor just left it to the stylist. For him "looking the part," was all that mattered. His mother, though seemed thoroughly amused. "She would have this wide grin on her face every time she saw me," says Manoj. The actor believes the toughest part about playing a woman, was dressing up. "I took three hours at make-up to get ready for a shot. I shot for about 35 days and every day, I had to go through the routine. I'm not the type who can stay calm for too long. So, it took a lot of patience. Now, I understand why women take so long to get ready," laughs Manoj,who admits to have been a little shocked to see himself in a sari for the first time.
A self confessed fitness freak, Manoj believes it all comes from his love for sports. "My fitness regime includes a blend of mixed martial arts and circuit training. I love the adrenaline rush of a workout and can't do without it," he saysThe actor reckons the performance to be "one of the whackiest" in his decade long career. "This has to be right up there with my best performances ever," says Manoj, who debuted in 2004 with Donga Dongadi. "I am very happy with my career. I'm not the type to plan much. Initially, after completing every movie, I would travel a lot to the US to visit my sister Lakshmi. Now that she's here, the number of films I'm doing is increasing too," he says in jest.
Manoj is all set to begin shooting for his next film to be directed by Nageshwar Reddy from next week. "It's a complete action entertainer,"says the actor, who is paired opposite Rakul Preet Singh. Manoj is most likely to double up as the action director too.
