After playing supporting roles in Mani Ratnam’s Kadal and Kaatrin Mozhi, both starring Jyotika, actress Lakshmi Manchu is back in Tamil cinema with an untitled project starring Tharshan Thiyagarajah and Madhuri Jain, who has already played the female lead in the 2021 comedy-drama Sivakumarin Sabatham.
Lakshmi, who was born and raised in Chennai, considers Tamil to be her first language, even though it is not her native tongue. The established Telugu actress, producer and TV presenter said that she loves talking in Tamil.
Lakshmi said, “The entire case is filled with young people with a lot of enthusiasm and this drew me to this project. I am the senior most among all.”
Lakshmi revealed that the character she is playing in the upcoming film will be named Rajini. “I’ve advised Anirudh that my scenes need a Baashha-style re-recording. Rajini is a cop, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, who is adept at her job,” she said about her character in the movie.
She did some preparation for the role as it will be her first character as a lady cop and she ‘wanted to fit well in the role’. Lakshmi also said that she has a lot of friends who are officers and she used to ring them up for asking ridiculous questions like what kinds of guns they have.
The actress of Guntur Talkies and Lakshmi Bomb is no stranger to Kollywood. In 2018, she appeared in Mani Ratnam’s Kadal and the comedy-drama Kaatrin Mozhi.
Manchu is the daughter of the veteran actor Mohan Babu. She graduated from Oklahoma City University in the United States with a bachelor’s degree in theatre. She’s won the SIIMA Award, two Filmfare Awards South and two State Nandi Awards. She has also worked with television channels in the US before returning to India.
Meanwhile, Female actors portraying cop roles are not uncommon in south cinema. In recent years, Nayanthara (in Imaikkaa Nodigal, Kajal Aggarwal (in Ghosty) and Jyothika (in Naachiyaar) have all played the roles of police officers.
