Vishnu Manchu on 'Kannappa': Prabhas and Mohanlal Did Not Charge a Single Penny for the Film
Actor Vishnu Manchu, who also co-wrote and produced the second-century story, talks about the epic commitment that went into crafting his magnum opus, and why he felt Akshay Kumar should be the face of Lord Shiva for this generation
"There comes a time in life when you have to put in all your chips and take a gamble," that’s how Vishnu Manchu describes the efforts that have gone into mounting his ambitious feature Kannappa, which he's been working on for more than seven years. At an estimated budget of ₹140 crores, Kannappa is epic in scale and size and is now gearing up for a worldwide release on April 25.
As Kannapppa becomes Manchu's first release in three years, the actor reflects on the slow pace of his career and wishes his screen outings should have been more frequent.
"Ten years ago, my maximum would be an average of two films per year. This later became one film a year, which I shouldn’t have done as an actor. Look at Prabhas; the entire theatrical system of exhibitors and distributors loves him because he still manages to release two films a year which are larger-than-life. He’s keeping the theatres alive," Manchu adds.
Kannappa, based on the second-century story of a devotee of Lord Siva, was also co-written and produced by Manchu. Although films have been made about Kannappa before, Vishnu feels there was a need for the audience to get a modern version of the epic.
"In 1938, the first film about Kannappa was made in Tamil and it was called Kannappa Nayanar. Dr Rajkumar then made two versions in Telugu and Kannada, which were called Kalahasti Mahatyam and Bedara Kannappa, respectively, that too in 1954. Two more versions came out in 1976 (Bhakta Kannappa) and then later in 1988 (Shiva Mecchida Kannappa). Ours is the first in 36 years to tell Kannappa’s story.”
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Despite making the film in 2025, Manchu notes that he has not forced too many VFX shots into his version of Kannappa. "Most of the VFX in the movie is reserved for the godly effects, for animal sequences, or in the climax. The sequences we shot in New Zealand, did not require any VFX. It was that beautiful."
As part of his recce, Manchu also visited many countries, including places where the 2013 drama series Vikings was shot. Scouting locations included visits to Australia, England, Scotland, Minnesota, Malaysia and the North East, before he chose New Zealand.
“The story takes place in the second century, and even though I believe India was just as beautiful then, we humans have been so destructive that we’ve killed our environment. New Zealand, I feel, is God’s last vision that is still intact," he adds.
Casting decisions were also based on the film’s massive scale and reach. Kannappa’s nationwide appeal led Manchu to keep the language relatable to all audiences, and hence, he avoided using chaste Telugu dialects. Similarly, the actor then thought of casting superstars like Akshay Kumar and Mohanlal.
Kumar will be seen playing the role of Lord Shiva—the second time after his 2023 outing OMG 2.
"Akshay sir had rejected my offer the first two times we went to him. I then had to go through another director to convince him. I told him that he should be the face of Lord Shiva for this generation. For earlier generations, there were other people... but today there is only one face, and that is Akshay Kumar. That’s how I convinced him."
As for Prabhas and Mohanlal, their approval was based on their love and respect for Manchu's father, veteran actor Mohan Babu.
"Both Prabhas and Mohanlal sir did not need any convincing. They were happy to shoot whenever, and they did it out of love for my dad. In fact, they both did not charge a single penny. They are both so big that they didn’t need to do this character. When I asked Mohanlal sir if I could talk to his manager to discuss financials, he laughed and said, 'So you think you’ve become such a big boy now?' People like him and Prabhas make me believe in the value of friendships," he concludes.