Indian actress and film producer Lakshmi Manchu, who started her acting journey despite her father - legendary actor Mohan Babu's disapproval, soon made her own path in showbiz. The actress recently joined The Free Press Journal for an exclusive candid chat, where she opened up about the difficulties she faced throughout her career and why she chose to not take the comfortable life.
When asked why she didn't be in her father's shadow and lead an easy life, Lakshmi said, "I also keep asking myself, 'Why didn't you just listen to your dad and take the comfortable, easy path?' Having said that, given the choice, I have to go to sleep and live with myself. There was something inside me that was burning, and it didn't let me sleep. It kept me awake at night. So, if your body is saying all those things, then that's what you should follow. That has been my intuition, or you could call it my gut feeling."
The actress added, "You know, your question is the answer. I chose my own path, and so I have my own dignity and respect. I wanted to do my own thing; I just wanted to be an artist. I will forever be in my father's shadow but if you put me in front of him on camera, it will either be him or me. I wouldn't be like, 'Oh, aap ho Papa.' Challenges are always going to be there, and I think your biggest lessons come from your family. I've learned that the hard way. What you need to learn comes from them. I believe I've learned that. My dad would always come from a place of fear, protecting me. Even now, when I was coming to Bombay, he said, 'Be careful, beta.'"
Lakshmi, recently dealt with a public family dispute that happened between her father Mohan Babu and her brother Manoj Manchu. When asked if nasty media reports about her family hurt her, the actress said, "Forget about the world, my mom calls me, saying, 'Did you do this? Did you do that?' She's addicted to YouTube shorts, which is probably the worst thing that could happen. I get angry at her, saying, 'Listen, you can't be watching these things and believing them.'"
She further stated, "There are people interviewing others, and those being interviewed are giving answers about my family - people I've never met in my life. I was amused by this one interview where they were asking about the person about me, Vishnu & Manoj, and this person had so much to say about it. I was wondering where they pulled all that information from. You know, the lines get blurred between fact and fiction, and it's hard to distinguish what's true and what's not. And this person they were interviewing - someone I've never met in my entire life. How do I respond to that? Do I go online and say, 'Who are you to talk about me?' No, I say, 'I'm surrounded by all the gods I believe in, go live your life.' If talking about my life is going to put food on your plate, then go live. May only my love reach you."
For the unversed, in December 2024, Mohan Babu and Manoj Manchu complained against each other to the Hyderabad police over charges of assault. While Mohan Babu claimed that Manoj and his wife, Mounika, illegally occupied his Jalpally home, Manoj said that he was attacked.
