His choice of films is dictated by what the audience demands. “I take the audience review into my stride and what I focus more on as an actor-filmmaker is what should be done next to captivate the moviegoers’ attention,” says 31-year-old Telugu actor Vishnu Manchu, who has also worked in Matrix Reloaded and in Jet Li’s Cradle 2 the Grave.
Vishnu’s latest movie Doosukeltha hit the screens last week. After the highly successful comedy Denikaina Ready, the Telugu star has amazed fans and his fellow cast and crew by undertaking a death-defying stunt on the sets of Doosukeltha. The adrenaline junkie dazzled the crew working on the action-comedy when he jumped off a jeep—80 feet off the ground—without any safety harness. Although Vishnu was recommended having a body double, he showed his daredevil nature by expertly jumping on the ground. The risky yet spontaneous Vishnu says, “The climax scene will look very real with me and 30 men pitted against each other.”
The action sequence will be one of the highlights of the film. Thai stunt master Kecha Khamphakdee, who had previously worked in films such as Iddarammayilatho and Billa 2, was roped in to choreograph the climax sequence of Doosukeltha. “As the director and action choreographer for the film, Vishnu gave me freedom to design action sequences that would work best for it,” says the stuntman. “There are lots of twists and turns in the film that will not let the audience take their eyes off the screen. The movie is packed with wonderful songs, exotic locales along with comic and action scenes of me and Bramhanandam,” says Vishnu.
A qualified stunt specialist himself, Vishnu is also a member of the Andhra Pradesh Fighter’s Association and is famed for performing his own stunts in the films. Vishnu’s first three movies sank at the box-office. Just as he was being written off, he pulled off the biggest blockbuster of 2006, Dhee. “After the huge success of Denikaina Ready, expectations from my fans have gone up. I am confident Doosukeltha will not disappoint them and they will love it,” says Vishnu adding, “It is an out and out action comedy, scripted for the entire family.”
King of Comedy too
On the acting front, while some of his colleagues tend to stick to one genre, Vishnu is experimenting with all sorts of them. He has proved to be a king of both action and comedy. The chemistry between Vishnu and Brahmanandam continue to bring out the finest comic timings film after film. The first time they brought laughter and created history with the comedy trend was with Dhee. Their superhit combination in Dhenikaina Ready again made it one of the biggest grossers of 2012. The duo has teamed up again for Doosukeltha. The film, directed by Veeru Potla and produced by Dr Mohan Babu under 24 Frames Factory, also features Lavanya Tripathi as the leading lady, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Rao Ramesh, Pankaj Tripathi, Vennela Kishore and Posani Krishna Murali.