Vishnu Manchu Exclusive Interview: 'I think it is Lord Shiva who chose Akshay Kumar to play this character in Kannappa'

Vishnu Manchu is gearing up for the release of his ambitious film Kannappa, that co-stars Preity Mukhundhan, Akshay Kumar, Prabhas, Mohanlal, Kajal Agarwal and a host of other actors. The movie is up for release on 27th June, 2025, and it releases in multiple Indian languages. Vishnu, along with Akshay Kumar, graced Pinkvilla with an interview of theirs, ahead of the release of their fantasy-actioner with a devotional touch.
In the interview, Vishnu Manchu was first asked about how he got the idea to cast Akshay Kumar in the role of Lord Shiva. The Dhee star answered, "For me, when I started writing the script, for me, the only vision that I had was of Mr Akshay Kumar; Who would look like Lord Shiva? Mr Akshay Kumar. His face features, or the way he conducts himself, and the way he looks!".
Watch Akshay Kumar And Vishnu Manchu's Interview With Pinkvilla, Ahead Of The Release Of Kannappa
He continued, "I did have a lot of people ask me if I am sure about Mr Akshay Kumar. I said that he's the only man I can think of. But spiritually speaking, I think it is Lord Shiva who chose him to play this character and not me. I could only propose. I got the approval from Lord Shiva".
Talking about playing devotional characters, Vishnu said, "It's not that easy to play roles of gods. In the Hindi Film Industry, it is lesser. But in the south, in lot of languages, we make a lot of movies on Ramayana or Mahabharata or other devotional movies. I feel you have to be destined to play certain characters. As much as I am destined to play Kannappa, it was Lord Shiva's blessings that he (Akshay Kumar) had to play Lord Shiva".
In his concluding remarks, Vishnu Manchu said that for the current generation, if anyone has to think of Lord Shiva, it has to be Mr Akshay Kumar.
Adding to what Vishnu told, Akshay Kumar said, "To be chosen to play this, I feel very lucky about it. I feel very empowered. It doesn't happen to many people. To play Lord Krishna or Lord Shiva; And the movie is also working. That is the big thing. I say to myself that I am one of the most luckiest person".
Kannappa hits theatres on the 27th of June, 2025. It releases alongside Maa and F1. It is to be seen how Kannappa plays amidst the stiff competition that it faces.
Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates on Akshay Kumar, Vishnu Manchu and their film Kannappa.

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