Patience paid off for the Kakinada-born actor Vishwant Duddumpudi. After his debut in director Sai Kiran Adivi’s Kerintha , he waited for a good story. Now he is on the verge of wrapping up Manamantha that boasts of big names like Mohanlal and Gautami. Giving a peek into his background, he says, “I studied in various places and left to the US for higher studies. It was from there I auditioned for Kerintha . When I got selected, I came down to Hyderabad. I am very lucky to be launched by producer Dil Raju and the movie did very well at the box office. I have come with a background where no one in the family is remotely connected to films. I don’t have a godfather but if there is someone to look for guidance, it is Dil Raju.”
About life after Kerintha , he says, “ Kerintha did well commercially. Even on television it was a huge hit. I can reach out to lot many people in the theatres but from television you get instant recognition After that, I had many options but I waited. I want to be selective in my approach and Manamantha is one such movie.”Clearly, Vishwant aims for a long-lasting career.
Isn’t it a coincidence that both the titles sound similar? He quips, “Yes. Kerintha and Manamantha rhyme. My family has been pulling my leg about it.”
Recalling the day he was called to director Chandrasekhar Yeleti’s office, Vishwant says he had a 45-minute conversation with the former. They did a small photo and a video session and the next day they said he was in. “It was only later that I got the bigger picture of the film —.the cast and the crew. It is a combination of four stories and Anisha Ambrose plays my love interest. Manamantha is a memorable film, in the sense I got to work with the finest people like Yeleti, Mohanlal and others. The director has strong attention to detail. Not one strand of hair is out of place when we are facing the camera. It helped me learn my strength and weakness.
Mohanlal is such a humble person, one day he came from behind and introduced himself. Who doesn’t know him? I remarked, ‘I am one-film old,’ and he said, ‘You are never old’. Gautami on the other hand is very punctual,” he adds.
