Amidst the hustle and the bustle of her brother’s wedding scheduled on May 20, her father’s never-ending to-do lists, a full-time DJ playing all kinds of music and taking care of her little one, actress and producer Lakshmi Manchu cannot stop thinking about her next film, Dongata that hits screens today.
“Every time my movie releases I am filled with emotions. Right now I feel tensed, like I am going to sit for my board exam – only much more intense,” says the actress. She is also “beyond excited” as she is satisfied with the outcome of the film. “Filmmaking is such a beautiful process and most times, they turn out to be much better than we expect. I am thrilled about the way Dongata has shaped up,” she beams.
Directed by Vamsi Krishna, Dongata tracks the story of an actress, played by Lakshmi Manchu who gets kidnapped. Who plans the abduction and why makes the rest of the story. “It is a complete laugh riot,” claims Lakshmi and adds, “It is a stylised Telugu film. There is a song with nine heroes from Tollywood including Nag, Rana, Manoj, Simbhu and Ravi Teja among others. I am super excited about the reaction to this song,” she says.
Talking about director Vamsi Krishna, who is her childhood friend, she says working with him was an experience in itself. “Though we disagree and fight, we know that it is healthy and for the better. That way it was easy for me to communicate with him,” shares the 37-year-old.
Lakshmi agrees with talks that she will be seen in a role playing her true self. She explains, “The world knows me as Mohan Babu’s daughter and Vishnu and Manoj’s sister. But I do not go around carrying these tags. Minus all this, I am pretty chilled out and hence the role was easy for me to play. I didn’t have to push a lot of boundaries like I did in the past. It was not a risky role either.”
The movie also stars Adivi Sesh and Brahmanandam in important roles. Lakshmi admits that working with them was a “brilliant experience”. “It is my first film with Brahmanandam (uncle) and it was crazy. Most times we would end up laughing too much,” she says.
While Dongata releases today, Lakshmi is already planning on producing a film with a new director.