Shreyas Manju: Vishnu Priya is a film I did to prove to people that I am an actor

Two-film-old Shreyas Manju has been training to be an actor for a while, but he admits that his films Vishnu Priya, which is releasing in theatres on February 21, was a school in itself. Shreyas surrendered himself to director VK Prakash, who guided the actor to do his best in a highly performance-oriented role. “My goal has never been to just be a hero and have my name prominently on movie posters; instead, I want to be known as an actor who can convince audiences that he’s so and so character. I need to make audiences feel the characters every emotion and that is what my aim is. Vishnu Priya, in that sense, gave me space to aim for my goal,” said the actor in conversation with Kadakk Cinema.

Shreyas Manju on Vishnu Priya: In the space I got, I have done my best

The entire film hinges on performances, especially of the lead pair, played by Shreyas and Priya Prakash Varrier. “In the journey of the character, from start-to-finish, there is scope for performance, which made me very happy. As a film lover, I dig emotional drama, tear-jerkers, etc., and in Vishnu Priya, there are many sequences in which the characters do not even speak; everything is conveyed through expressions. Prakash sir was extremely particular that these sequences had to be as realistic as possible. In the space I got, in what was only my second film, I have done my best. I want to show people that I am working with all my heart to prove that I am an actor,” adds Shreyas.

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

In an earlier conversation with OTTPlay, Shreyas had said that Prakash had called him aside after the film was wrapped up and told him that he had improved multi-fold as an actor. “He said that if I was a 3 on 10 after Paddehuli, with Vishnu Priya, I had risen to a 7 on 10 or more. That was a compliment that made me very happy,” Shreyas said, adding that working on the film was a process of unlearning a lot of stuff he had picked up for his debut, which was a semi-commercial project and required him to be a tad loud in his acting.

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

Vishnu Priya boasts music by Gopi Sundar and cinematography by Vinod Bharathi. The film also stars Achyuth Kumar and Suchendra Prasad in pivotal roles.