Manchu Vishnu Vardhan Babu (born 23 November 1982) is an Indian actor and producer known for his works in
Telugu cinema
Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, ...
and television. Manchu had a brief stint as a child artist with the 1985 film ''Ragile Gundelu''. Years later, he starred in the 2003 Telugu
action film
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include l ...
''Vishnu'', for which he won the
Filmfare Best Male Debut.
He is the co-owner of the film production house
24 Frames Factory and is an
educationalist
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Vari ...
through
Sree Vidyanikethan Educational Trust, founded by his father and veteran Telugu actor
Mohan Babu. He is a founder and chairman of New York Academy, a school in
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...
for which his wife, Viranica, is the director and his father Mohan Babu, is the chair person. He is also the chairman of
Spring Board Academy and
Spring Board International Preschools which has more than 75 branches spread across
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
,
Telangana
Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and 3 ...
,
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...
and
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
.
In 2007, he starred in the
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
''
Dhee
''Dhee'' () is a 2007 Indian Telugu language, Telugu-language action film, action comedy film directed by Srinu Vytla and produced by Siri Venkateswara Films. The film stars Vishnu Manchu and Genelia D'Souza while Srihari and Brahmanandam pla ...
'', which became a hit, and Manchu established his career in Telugu cinema. Manchu is one of the sponsors of the
Celebrity Cricket League
The Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) is an amateur men's cricket league in India. It consists of nine teams of film actors from nine major regional film industries of Indian cinema. The league commenced in 2011. Salman Khan is Brand Ambassador ...
Telugu Warriors. Vishnu had been recently elected as the president of Movie Artists Association.
Early life
Manchu Vishnu Vardhan Babu was born in
Madras,
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
(present-day
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
) to actor
Mohan Babu and mother, late Vidya Devi. He grew up with his brother
Manoj
Manoj is a name of Indian origin. Notable people called Manoj include:
Business
* Manoj Badale (born 1967), Indian businessman
* Manoj Bhargava (born 1953), Indian-American entrepreneur and philanthropist
Education
* Manoj Chitnavis, British te ...
and sister
Lakshmi
Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...
.
After completing schooling from the Padmaseshadri Bala Bhavan School, Manchu went on to take an engineering degree from Sree Vidyanikethan Engineering College, majoring in Computer Sciences and Information Technology. During that time, he represented the Bhaskar JNTU cricket team, and also captained the university basketball team.
Career
1985; 2003–2006: Early work
Manchu made his acting debut as a child artist in his father Mohan Babu's 1985 film ''Ragile Gundelu''.
He landed his first lead role in the film ''
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
'' (2003) directed by
Shaji Kailas
Shaji Kailas (born 8 February 1965) is an Indian film director and screenwriter known for his works in Malayalam cinema. Shaji got a breakthrough with the comedy film '' Dr. Pasupathy'' (1990).
He is best known for his action films with ma ...
, for which he won the
Filmfare Best Male Debut. He played a guy who wants to win his childhood love with his own merits against many hurdles. The following year, he was seen in the film ''
Suryam'' (2004) in which he played a guy who aims to fulfill the last wish of his mother. Manchu made a cameo appearance as a dancer in ''
Political Rowdy
''Political Rowdy'' is a 2005 Indian Telugu-language film directed by Adi Narayana. The film stars Mohan Babu, Charmme Kaur, Prakash Raj, and Abbas. As well as playing the lead role, Mohan Babu also produced the film. The film is a remake of ...
'' (2005), a romantic action drama.
He next appeared in the action-drama ''
Astram'' (2006), as an IPS officer who has been appointed to finish off the ultras. Soon after, Manchu was cast in ''Game'' (2006), as Vijay Raj, sharing screen space with his celebrity father Mohan Babu and yesteryear heroine Shobana.
He finally got his critical breakthrough with the movie ''
Dhee
''Dhee'' () is a 2007 Indian Telugu language, Telugu-language action film, action comedy film directed by Srinu Vytla and produced by Siri Venkateswara Films. The film stars Vishnu Manchu and Genelia D'Souza while Srihari and Brahmanandam pla ...
'', alongside
Genelia D'Souza. Released in 2007, ''Dhee'' became his first commercially successful film. It was remade in Tamil as ''
Mirattal
''Mirattal'' () is a 2012 Tamil language action romantic comedy film directed by R. Madhesh starring Vinay, Sharmila Mandre and Prabhu in the lead roles, Pradeep Rawat, Pandiarajan, and Santhanam in supporting roles, and Rishi in a cameo. A re ...
'', in Bengali as ''
Khokababu
''Khokababu'' is an Indian Bengali action comedy film directed by Shankar Aiyya. The film stars Dev, Subhashree Ganguly, Ferdous, and Laboni Sarkar in the lead roles. This film is an unofficial remake of a Telugu film, ''Dhee''.
Synopsis
T ...
'' and in
Oriya as ''Tu mo girlfriend''. Manchu plunged into the limelight with this role.
2008–present: Career fluctuations
He then appeared in the 2008 film ''
Krishnarjuna'', the 2009 film ''
Saleem'' and the 2011 film ''
Vastadu Naa Raju
''Vastadu Naa Raju'' (English: My King will Arrive) is a 2011 Indian Telugu-language action film directed by Hemant Madhukar. It stars Vishnu Manchu, who has also produced the film and Taapsee Pannu in the lead roles. While Gopal Reddy S has h ...
''. In 2012,
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
''
Dhenikaina Ready'' got him critical success; the film grossed 200 million at the box office. He then appeared in ''
Doosukeltha
''Doosukeltha'' () is a 2013 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film directed by Veeru Potla. It stars Manchu Vishnu and Lavanya Tripathi. Mani Sharma composed the music for the film. Mohan Babu produced the film under the banner of 24 Fr ...
'', directed by Veeru Potla, he starred opposite
Lavanya Tripathi
Lavanya Tripathi (born 15 December 1990) is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Telugu films along with Tamil films. She made her acting debut with the Hindi television show ''Pyaar Ka Bandhan'' (2009) and made her film debut with ''An ...
, the film grossed 126.3 million on its first week at the box office. He then appeared along with his father, in the critically acclaimed
crime film ''
Rowdy'', written and directed by
Ram Gopal Varma
Penmetsa Ram Gopal Varma (born 7 April 1962), often referred to by his initials RGV, is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer, known for his works in Telugu cinema in addition to Hindi, Kannada language films, and television.**
*
...
. The film minted a worldwide share of at the end of the second week of its run, and was declared a box office hit.
Manchu starred in G. Nageswara Reddy's ''
Denikaina Ready'', which became a hit and succeeded in changing his image. The next year, he had an opportunity to exhibit his versatility as an actor in the titular role of Veeru Potla's rom-com, ''
Doosukeltha
''Doosukeltha'' () is a 2013 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film directed by Veeru Potla. It stars Manchu Vishnu and Lavanya Tripathi. Mani Sharma composed the music for the film. Mohan Babu produced the film under the banner of 24 Fr ...
''. The movie not only established Manchu as an actor, but also grossed more than 15 crore at the box office. His next project fared much better, when he played the Gambler Gopi in the ensemble comedy ''
Pandavulu Pandavulu Tummeda
''Pandavulu Pandavulu Tummeda'' () is a 2014 Indian Telugu-language comedy drama film featuring an ensemble cast composed of Mohan Babu, Manchu Vishnu, Manchu Manoj, Raveena Tandon, Hansika Motwani, Pranitha Subhash, Varun Sandesh and Tanish. ...
'' (2014), which featured an ensemble cast of
Manchu Manoj
Manchu Manoj Kumar (born 20 May 1983) is an Indian actor who works in Telugu films. He first appeared at the age of ten as a child artist in '' Major Chandrakanth''. He made his film debut in a leading role with ''Donga Dongadi'' in 2004. He re ...
,
Mohan Babu,
Raveena Tandon
Raveena Tandon (born 26 October 1972) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. The daughter of director Ravi Tandon, she made her acting debut in the 1991 action film '' Patthar Ke Phool'', which won her the Filmfare Award for New Face ...
,
Hansika Motwani,
Pranitha Subhash
Pranitha Subhash is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi films. She debuted as an actress in the 2010 Kannada film, ''Porki''. In 2012, she starred in the critically acclaimed film '' Bheema Theerada ...
, and
Varun Sandesh
Jeedigunta Varun Sandesh (born 21 July 1989) is an Indian American actor known primarily for his works in Telugu cinema. He made his debut with Sekhar Kammula's coming-of-age drama ''Happy Days'' (2007), and went on to appear in films such as ...
.
Manchu then played the role Krishna in
''Rowdy'' (2014) alongside his father
Mohan Babu. Showing his range as an actor, Manchu later portrayed DCP Goutham in the commercially unsuccessful but critically adored film ''
Anukshanam'' (2014), helmed by
Ram Gopal Varma
Penmetsa Ram Gopal Varma (born 7 April 1962), often referred to by his initials RGV, is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer, known for his works in Telugu cinema in addition to Hindi, Kannada language films, and television.**
*
...
. He continued as a dramatic actor in the 2014 ''
Erra Bus'', produced and directed by
Dasari Narayana Rao
Dasari Narayana Rao (4 May 1947 – 30 May 2017) was an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, lyricist, and politician known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema, in addition to Hindi cinema. He has directed more than 150 ...
. He then appeared in the action thriller ''
Dynamite'', directed by Deva Katta. Though they made an interesting movie along the way, they paid for it at the box office. Manchu further proved his comedic talents with the romantic comedy entertainer ''
Eedo Rakam Aado Rakam
''Eedo Rakam Aado Rakam'' () is a 2016 Telugu-language romantic comedy film, produced by Sunkara Ramabrahmam on A.K. Entertainments banner and directed by G. Nageswara Reddy. It features Vishnu Manchu, Raj Tarun, Sonarika Bhadoria and Hebah Pat ...
'' (2015), in which he co-starred with
Raj Tarun
Raj Tarun (born 11 May 1992) is an Indian actor who works in Telugu films. Tarun debuted with the 2013 film ''Uyyala Jampala'' for which won SIIMA Award for Best Male Debut (Telugu) for the film.
He has appeared in many successful films in ...
. The same year, he completed filming for ''Saradaa'' but the film remains unreleased. In 2017, he starred in ''
Luckunnodu
''Luckunnodu'' () is a 2017 Telugu-language action comedy film directed by Raj Kiran. The film stars Vishnu Manchu and Hansika Motwani. It marks the acting debut of producer M. V. V. Satyanarayana as a villain.
Plot
A gangster robs a bank, bu ...
'', which performed poorly at the box office. By the end of 2017, he had already appeared in 20 films.
His film in 2018 include the crime drama ''
Gayatri
Gayatri (Sanskrit: गायत्री, IAST:Gāyatrī) is the personified form of the Gayatri Mantra, a popular hymn from Vedic texts. She is also known as Savitri, and bears the epithet of ''Vedamata'' (mother of the Vedas). Gayatri is ofte ...
'', in which
Shriya Saran
Shriya Saran Bhatnagar (; born 11 September 1982) is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi-language films. Although Saran aspired to become a well-known dancer, she became an actress with her film debut in 2001 ...
and his father
Mohan Babu play other important characters and the comedy film ''
Achari America Yatra
''Achari America Yatra'' () is a 2018 Telugu comedy film directed by G. Nageswara Reddy. The film stars Vishnu Manchu, Pragya Jaiswal, and Brahmanandam. It was produced by Kirthi Chowdary and Kittu. The film was remade in Odia in 2019 as ''Golma ...
''; and the political thriller ''
Voter
Voting is a method by which a group, such as a meeting or an electorate, can engage for the purpose of making a collective decision or expressing an opinion usually following discussions, debates or election campaigns. Democracies elect holde ...
'' 2019. His next film, ''
Mosagallu
''Mosagallu'' () is a 2021 Indian techno thriller film based on the true events of a large-scale technical support scam. Shot simultaneously in Telugu and English languages, the film is directed by Jeffrey Gee Chin, and written and produced b ...
'' (2021)'','' is a crossover film directed by American filmmaker Jeffrey Gee Chin based on the world's biggest IT Scam, filmed in India and USA.
It features
Kajal Aggarwal,
Suniel Shetty,
Navdeep
Navdeep Pallapolu (born 26 January 1986) is an Indian actor and television personality who appears in Telugu films along with Tamil films. He made his film debut in 2004 with the patriotic sports drama '' Jai''. He starred in films such as '' ...
,
Naveen Chandra
Naveen Chandra is an Indian actor who predominantly acts in Telugu films. He starred in the Telugu romance film ''Andala Rakshasi'' (2012) and won critical acclaim for his performance, before playing leading roles in Tamil films.
Early life
...
and
Ruhi Singh apart from Manchu.
It was released in March 2021 and was an all time epic disaster at the box office not even being able to recover 1% of its budget.
In October 2021, he contested and won the elections of Movie Artists Association (MAA) as its president against
Prakash Raj. Vishnu made the announcement about his next project titled 'Ginna' is being produced by Ava Entertainment and
24 Frames Factory which was initially planned to release in August but later released in October 2022 due to production delays.The film which was made on a budget of 20-25 crores managed to collect only 2 crores at the boxoffice and proved as a disaster.
Personal life
In 2009, Manchu married Viranica Reddy, niece of the
Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, the then
chief minister of Andhra Pradesh
The chief minister of Andhra Pradesh is the chief executive of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's '' de jure'' head, but '' de facto'' executive authority rests with th ...
. In 2011, they had twin daughters. In January 2018, they had a son and in August 2019, they had a daughter.
While filming the light-hearted comedy ''
Achari America Yatra
''Achari America Yatra'' () is a 2018 Telugu comedy film directed by G. Nageswara Reddy. The film stars Vishnu Manchu, Pragya Jaiswal, and Brahmanandam. It was produced by Kirthi Chowdary and Kittu. The film was remade in Odia in 2019 as ''Golma ...
'' (2018), Manchu had a near-fatal experience on the set. The actor, who was shooting in
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, suffered serious injuries when he hit his opponent with a helmet during a bike stunt scene and lost balance of his vehicle forcing him to hit the ground hard.
Filmography
;As producer
*''
Siva Shankar'' (2003; presenter)
*''
Current Theega
''Current Theega'' () is a 2014 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy action film produced by Manchu Vishnu on 24 Frames Factory banner and directed by G. Nageswara Reddy. It stars Manchu Manoj, Rakul Preet Singh and Jagapathi Babu. The fil ...
'' (2014)
* ''
Singam 123'' (2015; also writer)
* ''
Mama Manchu Alludu Kanchu'' (2015)
*''
Chadarangam'' (2020;
Zee5
ZEE5 is an Indian subscription video on-demand and over-the-top streaming service, run by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It was launched in India on 14 February 2018 with content in 12 languages. The ZEE5 mobile app is available on Web, Andro ...
web series)
* ''
Son Of India'' (2022)
Other work
Television
Manchu made his foray into television by directing the 100th episode of
Zee Telugu
Zee Telugu is an Indian Telugu-language general entertainment pay television channel in India. It was launched on 12 September 2004 as ''Alpha Telugu'' and was rebranded as ''Zee Telugu'' on 18 May 2005. The channel is owned by Zee Entertainmen ...
's series ''Happy Days''. The episode achieved the highest TRP ratings among the 700 episodes of the series. ''Happy Days'' is also produced by 24 Frames Factory. He has also directed ''Lakshmi Talk Show'' or ''Premathoo Mee Lakshmi''.
Producer
Manchu heads the
24 Frames Factory production house which in 2014 produced ''
Pandavulu Pandavulu Tummeda
''Pandavulu Pandavulu Tummeda'' () is a 2014 Indian Telugu-language comedy drama film featuring an ensemble cast composed of Mohan Babu, Manchu Vishnu, Manchu Manoj, Raveena Tandon, Hansika Motwani, Pranitha Subhash, Varun Sandesh and Tanish. ...
'', a comedy film with an ensemble cast. He also heads ThinkSmart, which handles post-production including graphics and other elements for cinema. ''Atanokkade'', from ThinkSmart, won the best video effects award.
Educationist
Manchu is the director of Spring Board International Preschools. When he joined with the Sree Vidyanikethan Educational Trust set up by his father, it was already a well-established educational institution. He took charge of this institution and built them into model institutions offering value-based education to the students. He expanded and diversified it into Spring Board Academy, and became founder and chairman at the New York Academy.
Manchu runs the Sree Vidyanikethan Educational Trust, founded by his father. The trust runs the Sree Vidyanikethan International School,
Sree Vidyanikethan Degree College
Sree Vidyanikethan Degree College was established in 1996 by the actor, educationist, former Member of Parliament and recipient of Padma Shri Dr. M Mohan Babu. Affiliated to Sri Venkateswara University (SVU), Tirupati, A.P. and recognized by G ...
, Sree Vidyanikethan Engineering College,
Sree Vidyanikethan College of Pharmacy,
Sree Vidyanikethan College of Nursing, the
Sree Vidyanikethan Institute of Management and the Sree Vidyanikethan College for Post Graduation Studies.
Army Green
Manchu started a social unit called Army Green for promoting environmental awareness. It adopted small settlements in the vicinity of the Sree Vidyanikethan Institutions.
Vishnu Manchu Art Foundation
Manchu set up an art foundation in Tirupati, the Vishnu Manchu Art Foundation (VMAF). Known as an institution established for the benefit and use of contemporary and gifted artists, the foundation provides a much-needed space free from any financial and commercial constraints. The main aim of the VMAF is to provide help to aspiring and talented artists to evolve the reach of their creativity. VMAF conducts a series of Make Art, Show Art and Beyond Art programmes each year.
As an art educational institution, Vishnu Manchu Art Foundation
regularly hosts lectures and discussions on issues relating to the contemporary arts and artists. VMAF is a venue for art lovers and the artistic community to engage in spirited conversations with art critics and renowned academics who showcase their work at the foundation. VMAF is known for its traditional works and injection of new creative ideas and expressions.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manchu, Vishnu
Living people
1982 births
Filmfare Awards South winners
Male actors in Telugu cinema
21st-century Indian male actors
People from Chittoor district
Male actors from Andhra Pradesh
People from Rayalaseema
Telugu male actors
Telugu film producers
Indian film producers
Indian television directors