I just make a home of the stones that are thrown at me

Vysakh’s mystery thriller directorial Monster, is currently streaming on Disney+Hotstar. In a recent meet with the Hyderabadi media, actress Lakshmi Manchu, opens up about her experience working with Mohanlal, handling trolls, and world turning into a smaller place with the advent of social media.

Amartya Smaran

Director Vysakh’s mystery thriller, Monster starring Mohanlal, Honey Rose, Lakshmi Manchu, and Sudev Nair released on October 21 to mixed reviews from the critics, but ardent fans of Lalettan have absolutely loved the film. The film began streaming on Disney+Hotstar from December 2.

Monster marks Lakshmi Manchu’s malayalam debut and her talent was not confined to an insignificant cameo. Her character is one that drives the narrative forward and keeps the audience guessing the story. The malayalam industry is synonymous with the name “Mohanlal” and how lucky can an actor be to debut in a picture starring the man himself? It goes without saying that Mohanlal is one of the greatest actors of our generation. Almost every actor who’s worked with him has admitted to learning a great deal from the complete actor.

The Monster actress who predominantly worked in the Telugu and Tamil industries says she feels blessed to have made her debut starring alongside Mohanlal. “I’ve been watching him do wonders since I was a kid and my father remade some of his movies and there is no doubt that he’s a great actor. The best thing about him is that he can talk about anything. Politics, architecture, art, cooking, singing, magic shows. You name it, he does it all. I’d like to believe that his multidimensional approach is what makes him a complete actor. Personally, that’s how I would love to enjoy my life as an actor and I feel that approach will definitely bring about a shift in our perspective. Be it travelling or trying out new things in life, they help bring that change in a person and it will find its way into acting as well,” commented Lakshmi.

All artists seldom shy away from revealing their method to madness. Over a period of time, actors develop certain techniques or methods in order to get into the character. The ravishing actress is being appreciated by the audience for her performance in the film. Are you curious to know what her method to madness is? “Gut feeling”, she said casually and continued, “Look! I’ve grown up in the industry and cinema is all I know. I am a very emotional person and I usually go with my instinct. The lines should speak through my body and mind. More than anything, all of it should come from a place of honesty. I am working on this film titled Gamble where I’ll be seen for most of the film. I remember telling the director that I should be the one doing the role because the story intrigued me so much. I’m looking forward to 2023, it is going to be an interesting year for me.”

It’s been a little over a decade since the Pitta Kathalu actress made her debut in the film world. The trolls on social media haven’t been kind to the actress in the early stages of her career. She was ruthlessly made fun of for her American accent, but little did they know that actress was simply being herself. The trolling got to a point where Lakshmi’s accent had become a topic of discussion at every event that lacked lustre. Trolling certainly has an impact on the way people perceive themselves, but the backlash didn’t bog her down at all.

Commenting on how she dealt with severe trolling, the Gundello Godari star mused, “Ofcourse, I was hurt because as actors we want to be constantly validated and with that comes the yin and yang. I always thought people would accept me like I was one of their own, but that wasn’t the case and that was disheartening. I just make a home of the stones that are thrown at me. They try to put me in a box, but I am a circle; how will I fit in a box? Let the circle roll, will you! As an artist I don’t take my voice lightly. I want to live my best life so that more people can live their best life.”

Monster also deals with issues pertaining to LGBTQ community, a rather controversial topic for the conservatives. Lakshmi Manchu rightly points out the advantages of the world turning into a smaller place with the advent of social media, “When we were kids, no one told us a guy whistling at us was not cool. We all would think that was a cool thing. Also, parents used to think they could walk into our rooms whenever they wanted to. The idea of privacy and space didn’t exist at all. Now with the internet, the world has become a smaller place. There’s good and bad, but people have come to know about various issues. They’ve begun to accept a plethora of communities, ideas and thoughts. Back in the day, we didn’t even know what a bad touch was. I am glad we’ve reached a place where we understand things a tad better,” explained the star.

The enchanting actress has got a couple of exciting films like Gamble, Lechindi Mahila Lokam, AgniNakshatram and Non-Stop lined up for 2023 and she concluded, “All of these films are absolutely different from each other and I am looking forward to 2023. I think it’s going to be a great year for me as an actor.”