Actress Lakshmi Manchu, the daughter of Telugu movie veteran Mohan Babu, recently said that her biggest obstacle in wanting to move to Mumbai from Hyderabad was her family who discouraged her decision. She eventually moved to Mumbai in 2023, and has since been meeting Hindi filmmakers.
In a recent interview with the Free Press Journal, Manchu was asked about the “roadblocks” she faced when she was shifting base to Mumbai.
Speaking of the same, she said, “There was only one roadblock, my family. They didn’t let me move for the longest time. We are a very close-knit family. They asked me, ‘Why do you have to be a small fish in a big pond?’ They had their own qualms. I used to stay at my best friend Rakul Preet (Singh)’s house. She kept insisting that I move to Mumbai.”
Manchu added that her friend, actor Rana Daggubati, told her she couldn’t possibly stay in Hyderabad forever and must move out, but it wasn’t easy. Manchu said that her father, an actor-producer in the Telugu Film Industry, tried to dissuade her from becoming an actor.
She continued, “Men down South aren’t okay with heroes’ sisters or daughters being actresses. They step back from casting people like us. Prakash introduced me to the movies, but my dad, and his dad, tried to get this idea out of our heads.”
Lakshmi Manchu also said that she is a “victim of patriarchy,” and further added, “I had to fight for the things that my brothers get easily. It happened on my own. We are a patriarchal society; we have to call it out rather than identifying with it. It is not only in the South industry but exists in all parts of the country. We are more than privileged since we live in Mumbai, but the reality is beyond us.”
On the professional front, Lakshmi Manchu made her Malayalam film debut with the movie Monster back in 2022, which also starred Mohanlal.
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