Lakshmi Manchu has opened up about the emotional and professional pressures she has faced as the daughter of veteran actor Mohan Babu. In a recent conversation, the actor-producer spoke about navigating patriarchy, managing expectations within a film family, and finding her own voice in the industry.When asked whether being the daughter of an overachieving father came with expectations, Lakshmi admitted the pressure continues even today.“There was. Yes — ‘was’ is the wrong word. There is,” she told Hauterrfly.Despite being reminded of her achievements — an award-winning actor, producer and performer — Lakshmi explained that the weight of legacy is hard to shake off.“There’s no taking patriarchy away from them.”
Learning to navigate rather than fight
Lakshmi shared that she once tried resisting the system she grew up in but soon realised it was a losing battle.“I used to be like, ‘I’ll show you, you’re wrong.’ But why do you need to change somebody else? You need to figure out how to navigate through that. I understand you’re not going to change. So I will change into what works for me,” she said.Coming from a family of male actors added to the burden. “Every role I take, it’s like: how will it land on them? Will it affect their careers? Nobody in my house says ‘don’t do this’, but you learn the do’s and don’ts from the women in your house. You imbibe it.”Lakshmi also revealed that growing up, she was often made to feel “not enough.” “I was continuously told: ‘You will be nothing. You are everything because of this.’ So I said I love operating from nothingness — then there is nowhere to go but up.”
‘Hollywood was easier than Tollywood’
Lakshmi, who has worked internationally and appeared in shows like Desperate Housewives, said her experience in the West felt more structured than working in Telugu cinema.“It was easier to do Hollywood than Tollywood, bro. Truth be told. There is a system — you audition, you get a callback, you have a producer. It’s not like everybody is somebody’s daughter. Navigating and getting a job there is more flex than anything else.”
On South stars not encouraging women in the family to act
Addressing the belief that many male stars in the South discourage their daughters and sisters from joining films, Lakshmi said the mindset remains a challenge.“I am still tackling that. Tell me how many actor’s daughters you know in the industry? Not actresses’ daughters — actors’ daughters.”Speaking of Mahesh Babu and Namrata Shirodkar’s daughter Sitara, Lakshmi praised the young star kid’s visibility.“If Namrata and Mahesh don’t bring their daughter out, I’ll beat both of them,” she joked.She also complimented Namrata’s progressive upbringing. “She’s such a progressive woman… Marathi, matriarchal. She knows how to bring the women out. And Sitara is giving a lot of other kids the freedom to choose their path.”Lakshmi also spoke about sharing her early career phase with Shruti Haasan.“Her first Telugu movie and mine were in the same film,” she recalled.
