| Mankatha Da

Manoj Manchu in Ajith's Mangatha

அஜித்தின் 'மங்காத்தா'வில் தெலுங்கு நடிகர் மோகன் பாபுவின் மகன் மனோஜ் மஞ்சு ஐவரில் ஒருவராக நடிக்கிறார். இவர் ஏற்கனவே 'என்னை தெரியுமா' என்ற தமிழ் படத்தில் அறிமுகமானார்.

Upcoming Telugu actor Manoj Manchu, son of veteran actor Mohan Babu, has been finalized to play a crucial role in Ultimate star Ajith's 50th film Mangatha to be directed by Venkat Prabhu and produced by Dhayanidhi Alagiri under the banner of Cloud Nine.
A bilingual to be made in Tamil and Telugu,Mangatha will start rolling in September with Neetu Chandra as heroine and music by Yuvanshankar Raja. Venkat Prabhu is giving finishing touches to the script, which will be based on a group of cons.
Meanwhile, Manchu Manoj, who was to reprise his original role in the Tamil remake (Vaanam) of Allu Arjun's super hit Telugu film Vedam, is likely to miss the Tamil version as his shoulder injury, which occurred during the shooting of Nenu Meeku Telusa in 2008, got aggravated recently. As advised by his doctors, the actor will leave for USA to undergo surgery in a couple of days.

Source: Galatta

Venkat Prabhu- Mr.Nice Guy

There was a time in Venkat Prabhu’s career when things looked bleak and he seemed to be walking a very stony path. It wasn’t so long ago that he and his family went through some very bad times financially and he felt that nothing was stable.

“When I returned home to India after eight years in the UK I decided to star in my father’s film Pooncholai. Unfortunately, that film did not even release and I began to sense that others were loosing faith in me and that I was beginning to be considered unlucky,” he recalls.“It wasn’t until after I got married that I started to take my responsibilities seriously. I even started a band and played at weddings and functions to make ends meet and tried to launch a film magazine, which again did not take off.“My father started a television company which was a flop and we actually lost our houses,” he reveals. “I came to know a lot about life and all it’s ups and downs. I worked on all sorts of projects and took acting roles as second-lead and even worked in Tamil TV serials.“I tried all kinds of things and for me the turning point was a video project that I did for a company in Singapore. This got the notice of some people and when I asked SP Charan to produce and Yuvan Shankar Raja to do the music for what was to become Chennai 28, they immediately supported me.”Since then, Venkat Prabhu has earned a name for himself as a cutting-edge film maker who has his finger on the pulse of ‘Generation Next’ with hit films such as Goa and Saroja.“When I was at school I really wanted to become a singer and then later, I guess because of my strong interest in films, I decided to try to become a film maker,” he reflects. “I even looked into studying at the British Film Institute but it was way too expensive and after lengthy discussions with my father, I realised that direction is not necessarily something you needed to be formally trained in.“A lot of people don’t realise this about the film-world but if you can manage your people and your budgets carefully, you have won half the battle. Thankfully, people always had the confidence in me even when I wasn’t too sure of myself. People have always believed in me.” …. That’s probably because you seem like such a nice guy I thought to myself and isn’t it great when one meets an exception to the rule that nice-guys always finish last.

Source: Express Buzz 17-July-2010

Neetu Chandra's Interview about Ajith and Mangatha

Actress Neetu Chandra has hit the jackpot, and how! After debuting in Yaavarum Nalam opposite Madhavan, she wowed Kollywood audiences with her performance as the haughty and spoilt brat Tejaswini in Theeratha Vilayattu Pillai. And then, she went on to do a cameo song with director Ameer in Mysskin’s forthcoming Yuddham Sei. And now, the latest is that she has bagged the female lead in Venkat Prabhu’s film with Ajith and Nagarjuna, titled Mangaatha.

Talking to CT, Neetu says, “I got a call from Venkat Prabhu’s office a month ago and they spoke to my manager about casting me in a film opposite Ajith. I was quite excited about the offer and decided to go ahead. I later spoke to Venkat Prabhu as well. He said I’ll be playing the main female lead in the film. I think the shooting will begin in August.”

Neetu is super excited about being a part of a film that has her favourite south Indian stars and director. “I’ve heard about Venkat’s style of direction. He’s made films in different genres in a short span of time and all his movies are hilarious. He’s a great brand in Kollywood. Who would say no to working with him?” she smiles.

Mangaatha happens to be Ajith 50th film and Neetu says she’s quite lucky to land this offer. “I know Ajith has a huge fan following in south. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. I hope our pairing clicks well,” she says.

Interestingly, Neetu was supposed to play Nagarjuna’s heroine in a Telugu film, which didn’t take off. “I admire Nagarjuna for his talent. But somehow, I couldn’t do that Telugu film with him. Now, I’m glad that I get to work with both Ajith and Nagarjuna in the same film,” she gushes.

Source: Times of India and Maalimalar 16-July-2010