DYK Akshay Kumar Rejected Kannappa Not Once But Twice? Here's How Vishnu Manchu Convinced Actor

Vishnu Manchu is all geared up for his upcoming film Kannappa. The movie stars several bigwigs of Indian cinema and fans are eagerly waiting for the mythological drama. In a recent interaction, the actor admitted that Akshay Kumar was initially reluctant to accept the role of Lord Shiva and how he convinced him to be part of this.

Did Akshay Kumar rejected Kannappa twice?

In an interview with The Hollywood Reported India, Vishnu Manchu said, “Akshay sir rejected my offer the first two times we went to him. I then had to go through another director to convince him. I told him that he should be the face of Lord Shiva for this generation. For earlier generations, there were other people… but today there is only one face and that is Akshay Kumar. That’s how I convinced him”.

Manchu further said, “Both Prabhas and Mohanlal sir did not need any convincing. They were happy to shoot whenever and they did it out of love for my dad. In fact, they both did not charge a single penny. They are both so big that they didn’t need to do this character. When I asked Mohanlal sir if I could talk to his manager to discuss financials, he laughed and said, ‘So you think you’ve become such a big boy now?”.

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All about Kannappa

Helmed by Mukesh Kumar Singh and produced by Mohan Babu, Kannappa is based on the legend of Kannappa, a devotee of Lord Shiva. While the movie stars Vishnu in the titular role of Kannappa, Mohan Babu will play the role of Mahadeva Shastri.

The movie stars an ensemble cast, including Mohan Babu, R. Sarathkumar as Nathanathudu, Madhoo, Mukesh Rishi, Brahmanandam and Raghu Babu. So far five cameos has been announced - Mohanlal as Kirata, Prabhas as Guardian Rudra, Akshay Kumar  as Shiva and Kajal Aggarwal as Parvati Devi. Kannappa is scheduled to release in theatres on April 25, 2025.

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