Chikkanna: Manju Mandavya is the best choice to direct me as a lead hero

He came, he saw the opportunity, and he conquered it to become one of the most versatile comedians of the Kannada film industry. Chikkanna has stayed true to the genre he is good at and has entertained the audience to the fullest. In the upcoming film Sri Bharatha Bahubali, he plays a role parallel to that of the lead actor, Manju Mandavya, who has also directed the film. The two go back to the Raja Huli days, when both made their appearance in the Yash-starrer.  

Ahead of Sri Bharatha Baahubali's release on January 17, the actor says the film will have the audience in splits, from start to end. “Apart from Raja Huli, I have worked with Manju Mandavya in his directorial debut, MasterPiece. His works prove that his main strength lies in writing and that he has a great sense of comedy. This can also be seen in the upcoming film. More importantly, he knows what I am good at, and he has sketched the character accordingly,” says Chikkanna.

According to the actor, who plays the character of Baahubali, while Manju plays Bharatha, Sri Bharatha Baahubali is driven by situational comedy. “It also gives a valuable message,” he adds.

The romantic comedy, made under the banner of Aishvarya Film Productions, features Sarah Harish in the female lead with actors Rishi and Shruti Prakash seen in guest appearances. Sri Bharatha Baahubali has Manikanth Kadri scoring music and K Parvez handling the camera.

Chikkanna is currently focusing on turning hero this year. He will once again team up with director Manju Mandavya for a project to be bankrolled by Umapathy Films. “Manju Mandavya has a great sense of humour, and is good at writing comedy. As a comedian who is turning hero, it was important for me to pick the right director, and I felt he was the best choice. We are sitting together for the script and planning other details. In all likelihood, the film will take off this year,” says Chikkanna.

One of the busiest actors in Kannada cinema, Chikkanna has completed the shoot for a handful of films, including Roberrt, Pogaru, Raju James Bond, Krishna Talkies, and Bill Gates, and is currently shooting for the Vikram Ravichandran-starrer Trivikrama.