Shreyas K Manju says Vishnu Priya’s delayed release is a blessing and here’s why

Vishnu Priya, which is set to release in theatres on February 21, is the second film that leading man Shreyas K Manju did after his debut Paddehuli, but for reasons beyond his control, his next, Raana came out first. Vishnu Priya was announced as a summer of 2024 release eventually, but didn’t make it to theatres at the time either and when there was no news of it, there were rumours that the makers had chosen to make it a direct-to-OTT film. But that also turned out to be mere speculation, as producer K Manju, Shreyas’ father, has been emphatic that Vishnu Priya was meant for a big-screen experience.

Also read: VK Prakash – I’ve done a Kannada film earlier, but Vishnu Priya is the one I am looking forward to 

Shreyas sees the film’s delayed release as a blessing in disguise. The film, which, he says is based on true incidents, and is steeped in reality, so much so that the actor was, at one point, worried if audiences would accept such a cinematic treatment. “It’s a blessing, I guess, that the film did not release earlier. Audiences today are tired of random, formulaic commercial cinema and are craving good story-telling,” he said, speaking to Kadakk Cinema.

When the team began planning promotions of Vishnu Priya, the lack of high-energy commercial songs was often brought up, which had Shreyas worried, but after the trailer came out, he let out a sigh of relief. “The response I got for the trailer was phenomenal, which was the affirmation I was looking for that this is the kind of content that audiences want to see onscreen. The fact that we have tried to do something different has worked for audiences,” he adds.

Also read: Exclusive! Director VK Prakash sir made me a better actor with Vishnu Priya: Shreyas Manju 

Vishnu Priya, he says, is also the kind of film that helps him show people that he isn’t in the industry just because he is a producer’s son. “I want them to see my dedication to the craft. The end goal is to be an artiste who can seamlessly move from character to character; one who lets audiences see the person you are playing and not yourself,” he says.