Gained 20 kg for Okkadu Migiladu : Manchu Manoj

Chennai Aug 21 (IANS) Actor Manchu Manoj who will be seen playing a Sri Lankan leader in his upcoming Telugu-Tamil bilingual "Okkadu Migiladu" gained 20 kg to play his part and later shed 10 kg to play a role in another film.

"The role of the Sri Lankan leader required me to look huge and overweight. Hence I gained about 20 kg. After we finished shooting that portion I went and shot for another film called Gunturodu . In the process I lost 10 kg to play a student union leader " Manoj told IANS.

The film slated to hit the screens in September will release in Tamil as "Naan Thirimba Varuven".

The story is set in two time periods -- 1990 and 2017.

"We have captured the tension of Ceylon in the 1990s as realistically as possible. The film is based on an untold true story. It s a very emotional story and focuses on the lives of those (Eelam Tamils) who die tragic deaths during that period " he said.

Asked if his role is inspired from late LTTE chief Prabhakaran Manoj said: "We haven t used names in the film. Let it be that way. I play a very intense role and I m proud to have accepted this project."

Manoj says the film s screenplay will be much talked about.

"Remember how Rang De Basanti merged two stories set in different eras beautifully? We have attempted something very similar. I m not saying we have copied the template " he said heaping praise on his director Ajay Nuthakki.

Films set against the backdrop of Sri Lankan war usually find themselves in controversies. Manoj says he isn t worried about any kind of opposition.

"We are ready to screen our film when faced with any kind of opposition. We ve merely recreated history. We haven t taken sides or blamed anyone for what happened with the people in Sri Lanka. Thousands of people were mercilessly killed. The world needs to know such stories " he said.

The film also stars Anisha Ambrose.

--IANS
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