BTN News: In a frank interview, Mohan Babu’s daughter and actress Lakshmi Manchu opened up about her struggles in Telugu cinema and how vigorous was it to shift to Mumbai. Despite the privilege of lakhs of people Lakshmi shared that her entry into the glamour world was not a smooth journey. The Indian-American actor talked about working in India as well as the US and shared anecdotes from her career lamenting the society’s stifling ways.
Resistance From the Family and Personal Sacrifices
Lakshmi Manchu mentioned, because of her relative closeness in the family, she could not go to Mumbai initially. When asked by the Free Press Journal, she said, “It is their internal problem. I was staying with my best friend Rakul Preet (in Mumbai). Girl would not shut up about me moving to Mumbai. Rana (Daggubati) was telling me during one of our conversations, ‘Dude you cannot keep sitting here in Hyderabad all your life? Her daughter, Nirvana who was just seven months old at the time also had a hand in Ms Webb’s apprehension to move.
Southern Barriers of the Patriarchal Variety
Another instance is when Lakshmi pointed out how disappointing the gender disparities are in the South Indian film industry. She also said that she doesn’t have it as easy as her brothers, Vishnu and Manoj, in terms of getting opportunities. “yes, I am a victim of patriarchy” — admitted Lakshmi. “Men down south don’t accept that sisters and daughters can be heroines in the industry. They back away from hiring the likes of us. (Anaganaga O Dheerudu) Met Prakash (Kovelamudi), he introduced me to the movies,, but my dad and his dad (Raghavendra Rao ).. Tried to get this idea out of our heads.
His Extensive Career Far and Wide
Known for her work outside Tollywood, Lakshmi first made a career for herself in the United States starring in TV serials “Las Vegas,” “Boston Legal,” and “Desperate Housewives” and films like “The Ode” and “Dead Air”. Back into India, she made her Telugu debut in 2011 with movies like Gundello Godari and W/O Ram. In 2022, she made her debut in Malayalam cinema with the movie “Monster,” alongside Mohanlal. Having featured in the Disney+ Hotstar series this year, “Yakshini.”
Overcoming Roadblocks
Lakshmi’s story is a testament to the struggle against family expectations and industry pigeonholing. Despite coming from a film family, she ended up being an outsider in the industry and even faced major backlash for not having filmy connections. It insinuates the battle for gender equality in the world of film still rages and serves as a reminder that sometimes being persistent is paramount to realizing your dreams against all odds.
