Vishnu Manchu reveals Akshay Kumar turned down the role of Lord Shiva in Kannappa twice: ‘I then had to go through another director to convince him’

Vishnu Manchu recently revealed that Akshay Kumar was initially reluctant to accept the role of Lord Shiva in Kannappa, turning down the offer twice before finally accepting it.

By: Entertainment Desk

Kochi | February 17, 2025 04:24 PM IST

3 min read

Vishnu Manchu recently revealed that Akshay Kumar was initially reluctant to accept the role of Lord Shiva in Kannappa, turning down the offer twice before finally accepting it.

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar portrays Lord Shiva in the Telugu mythological drama Kannappa, wherein Vishnu Manchu plays the titular role. (Credit: Instagram/@kannappamovie)

One of the most anticipated Telugu movies of the year, director Mukesh Kumar Singh’s mythological drama Kannappa has been generating buzz ever since its makers revealed the star-studded cast. Featuring cameo appearances by Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, “Rebel Star” Prabhas, Malayalam superstar Mohanlal and Kajal Aggarwal in the roles of Lord Shiva, Rudra, Kirata and Goddess Parvati, respectively, the movie stars Vishnu Manchu in the titular role.

While Kumar’s transformation as Lord Shiva broke the internet when the makers of Kannappa unveiled his first-look poster last month, Manchu recently revealed that the Bollywood actor was initially reluctant to accept the role, turning down the offer twice before finally accepting it. Penned by Manchu himself, the movie is bankrolled by his father, actor-producer Mohan Babu.

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“Akshay sir rejected my offer the first two times we went to him. I then had to go through another director to convince him. I told him that he should be the face of Lord Shiva for this generation. For earlier generations, there were other people… but today there is only one face and that is Akshay Kumar. That’s how I convinced him,” he told The Hollywood Reporter India. Kumar had previously portrayed Lord Shiva in director Amit Rai’s blockbuster comedy-drama OMG 2 (2023), starring Pankaj Tripathi in the lead role.

Manchu further revealed that, unlike Kumar, Prabhas and Mohanlal readily agreed to join the project due to their long-standing relationship with his father. He also stated that the two actors did not take any remuneration for their roles. “Both Prabhas and Mohanlal sir did not need any convincing. They were happy to shoot whenever and they did it out of love for my dad. In fact, they both did not charge a single penny. They are both so big that they didn’t need to do this character. When I asked Mohanlal sir if I could talk to his manager to discuss financials, he laughed and said, ‘So you think you’ve become such a big boy now?’ People like him and Prabhas make me believe in the value of friendships,” he added.

Watch Kannappa teaser here:

Mounted on an estimated budget of Rs 140 crore, Kannappa also features producer Mohan Babu, R Sarathkumar, Madhoo, Mukesh Rishi, Brahmaji, Karunas and Brahmanandam in key roles. The film boasts cinematography by Sheldon Chau, editing by Anthony Gonsalvez and music by Stephen Devassy. It will hit the screens on April 25, 2025.

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