New Delhi: Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar is the latest addition to the ensemble cast of Mukesh Kumar Singh's upcoming fantasy drama "Kannappa," starring Vishnu Manchu. Akshay Kumar will be making his Tollywood debut with this mythology-based film centered around the devout follower of Lord Shiva, Kannappa.
Akshay Kumar joins Vishnu Manchu starrer Kannappa cast
Renowned industry tracker Ramesh Bala broke the news on social media, announcing Akshay's inclusion in the project. He shared, "Bollywood Superstar @akshaykumar joins the cast of Prestigious Pan-India Biggie - Actor @iVishnuManchu's Big Budget movie #Kannappa. After #Prabhas, @Mohanlal, @PDdancing and @realsarathkumar - @akshaykumar is one more grand addition to the movie's cast..Stay tuned for more exciting updates..(sic)"
This venture marks Akshay's foray into Telugu cinema, although he previously appeared in the bilingual film "Ashaant" in 1993, released in Kannada as "Vishnu Vijaya." Additionally, he made his Tamil debut in Shankar's 2018 blockbuster "2.0". "Kannappa" will be his third venture in South Indian cinema.
About Kannappa
The star-studded cast of "Kannappa" includes Vishnu Manchu, his father Mohan Babu, along with other luminaries such as Prabhas, Mohanlal, Shiva Rajkumar, Madhoo, Sarathkumar, Prabhu Deva, Brahmanandam, Mukesh Rishi, Kaushal Manda, and more. The film features music by Stephen Devassy and Mani Sharma, cinematography by Sheldon Chau, and editing by Anthony.
"Kannappa" holds significance as Vishnu Manchu's passion project, produced by Mohan under AVA Entertainment and 24 Frames Factory. Vishnu has penned the screenplay, based on a story developed by Paruchuri Gopala Krishna, Eshwar Reddy, G Nageswara Reddy, and Thota Prasad. Shot originally in Telugu, the film will be dubbed into other South Indian languages and Hindi.
Initially, Kajal Aggarwal and later Nupur Sanon were cast as female leads, but both opted out for different reasons. Preity Mukhundhan was subsequently brought in to fill the role. The filming has taken place in New Zealand and Hyderabad.