Akshay Kumar & Vishnu Manchu Say Hollywood Borrowed Indian Stories Ahead of Kannappa Release

Akshay Kumar and Vishnu Manchu claim Hollywood has long borrowed from Indian mythology. As Kannappa nears release, they highlight how Indian stories have inspired films like E.T. and Star Wars.

Akshay Kumar and Vishnu Manchu claim Hollywood has long borrowed from Indian mythology.

Source : IMDb

As excitement builds for the release of the mythological epic Kannappa, lead actors Akshay Kumar and Vishnu Manchu are drawing attention not only to the film’s spiritual roots but also to India’s vast storytelling legacy — which, they say, has often inspired the West.

In a recent promotional interview with Bollywood Hungama, the actors opened up about how rich and underutilized Indian mythological tales remain in cinema, and how they’ve often crossed over to influence Hollywood’s biggest hits.

“There are so many stories here, and I personally believe that Hollywood takes a lot from our stories. Their superheroes and their superpowers are all inspired by our mythology,” Akshay Kumar said. “The kind of stories we have is unbelievable, like I didn’t know the story behind Kannappa before the film.”

Akshay plays Lord Shiva in the film, while Vishnu Manchu stars as Kannappa, a tribal devotee whose unwavering faith leads him to divine blessings. The film, directed by Mukesh Kumar Singh, explores this moving tale of sacrifice and devotion.

'Star Wars Took from Mahabharat': Vishnu Manchu

Vishnu Manchu went a step further by citing specific Western examples that he believes were lifted from Indian narratives. “Even Star Wars has been inspired by Mahabharat, and E.T. actually came from a script written by Satyajit Ray,” he said.

The story he’s referring to is Ray’s unrealized screenplay The Alien, which had been circulating in Hollywood for years before E.T. was made. Though director Steven Spielberg never admitted to borrowing from Ray’s work, similarities between the two stories have sparked speculation for decades.

“Ray admitted in an interview that his original script had been making the rounds of L.A. for some time, and suddenly one day they announced E.T., which was very similar to his story,” Vishnu said.

Kannappa Release Date

Backed by a powerhouse cast including Akshay Kumar, Vishnu Manchu, Mohan Babu, Prabhas, Kajal Aggarwal, Mohanlal, and Preity Mukhundan, Kannappa is set to release on June 27. The film will go head-to-head with Brad Pitt’s highly anticipated F1, which lands in theatres just two days earlier.

With its spiritual backbone and pan-India star power, Kannappa is not only promising a spectacle but also reigniting conversations around the global influence of Indian mythology.