
Why did Prabhas skip Kannappa promotions? Vishnu Manchu reveals what makes Rebel star ‘uncomfortable'
Kannappa has truly been one of the most ambitious Telugu projects lately. Besides its storyline, glimpses, and songs, the movie has garnered attention for its stellar cameos featuring actors like Mohanlal, Prabhas, Akshay Kumar, and Kajal Aggarwal.
Recently, Vishnu Manchu broke his silence on why the Rebel Star was nowhere to be seen joining in as a part of the pre-release event for the movie.
Why did Prabhas aka Rudra miss attending Kannnappa pre-release event?
At the recent pre-release event for Kannappa, Vishnu Manchu addressed the most debated question about why Prabhas was absent from any of the film's promotional events, and in fact, even skipped the press meet.
Vishnu responded that he is well aware of what makes Prabhas uncomfortable, indicating the latter's hesitance on making a public appearance. Furthermore, he mentioned that he tends to avoid asking such questions to the Salaar actor.
He said, 'My brother Prabhas is comfortable with certain things, but there are some aspects that make him feel uncomfortable," he said. 'I'm truly grateful to him for being a part of my film. I know what makes Prabhas feel uneasy, and I avoid asking him about such things."
Vishnu Manchu says he didn't want to trouble Prabhas
Moving on with the same revelation, Vishnu mentioned that Prabhas was supposed to record a video message and send it across to the Kannappa team in his absence.
However, the actor was apparently not well, and as a result, the shooting of this message was even called off. Vishnu did not see it fit to trouble Prabhas any further.
Prabhas' shoutout for Kannappa ahead of release
Just ahead of Kannappa's grand release in theaters, Prabhas took to his Instagram stories to pen a message for the audience as they prepare to witness the film on-screen.
He wrote, '#Kannappa arrives on the big screen. The epic tale of a man who gave more than his life. He gave his vision and his soul. Kannappa is now playing-witness to divine surrender.'

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Indian Express
11 minutes ago
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Kannappa movie review: Vishnu Manchu's ambition cannot fully save this tediously long saga
Kannappa Movie Review & Rating: If you walk into a screening of Kannappa a few minutes late, there's a good chance you'll think that the film is actually a cosplay staged by Indians living somewhere abroad. Garish costumes, equally weird body art and piercings, loud shamans performing witchcraft and sacrifices, and a configuration that includes five different clans from centuries ago sharing one vast piece of land – all of this and so much more resembles a kind of pageantry that one spots in amateurish skits. Yet, director Mukesh Kumar Singh urges us to take all of it seriously as he plods through a story that is still quite far from finding its groove. Kannappa tells the tale of the eponymous icon from Hindu mythology, revered for his unwavering devotion to Lord Shiva. But before attaining that status, he lived the life of an atheist hunter named Thinnadu (played by Vishnu Manchu) who dismissed and blasphemed against each of his tribe's religious practices. 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The most glaring of missteps occurs in how the tribal community, at large, is represented. Thinnadu is said to belong to the Chenchu tribe that is known for its many unique cultural characteristics (now struggling against steep modernisation) but Kannappa cruelly exoticises them to an extent that it feels campy and caricatured. Characters, especially the women, are seen in costumes heavily sensualised in the name of them being 'tribal'. The bad guy is introduced atop a huge mound of corpses as his eerie occult world breathes savagery around him. The mountains, the meadows, the rivers and practically every element of the film's physical landscape scream foreign location; Kannappa is supposed to have been extensively shot in New Zealand and the makers go the extra mile to showcase their reach and budget. The combined result of all this is that the aesthetics don't allow us to feel the essence of the story until quite late into the proceedings. This also means that Vishnu Manchu, despite his visible devotion to the self-designed dream role, is left restlessly bouncing around as the film goes about finding some kind of a rhythm. The first half is predominantly weighed down by the triteness described above but there occurs a juncture in the narrative when things do notably come together. At its heart, Kannappa is about the trials of faith and how a non-believer sheds his arrogance to embrace personal transformation – so, when the screenplay (also credited to Vishnu) does come to its own for a brief while, it throws up a few pleasant surprises that salvage an otherwise turgid retelling of mythology. What works in its favour is a bunch of cameos and special appearances (no spoiler that superstars Mohanlal, Prabhas and Akshay Kumar are on offer here) that are staged and timed well, leading to sequences that contextually anchor the film and are also memorable in their own ways. One of these impressive portions even manages to throw up poignant questions regarding caste and the right to access divinity first-hand, as Thinnadu's innocent views combat the purity-pollution dogma of a Brahmin priest. Also Read | Kannappa Movie Release LIVE UPDATES Vishnu Manchu puts his best foot forward but he is still found wanting as a performer during the climactic emotional scenes. Preity Mukhundhan as Nemali gets something to play with, but her role also feels exploitative given its objectified framing. Senior actors, and there's a whole gamut of them here, R. Sarathkumar, Mukesh Rishi, Madhoo and others aren't really challenged, and they deliver exactly what's asked of them. Ultimately, Kannappa remains incoherent for most parts, and the disjointed storytelling leaves a lasting dent in it. If the unimaginative world-building, compounded by some high-level hammy acting, becomes its chief shortcoming then the lack of narrative urgency damages things further. In fact, it feels apparent that the makers are hesitant to commit to a full-fledged mythology experience for today's audience, and that second-guessing shows in how the story's most significant stretch arrives painfully late into the 182-minute runtime. It shines fleetingly, particularly when it becomes aware of its emotional core, and the finale does rise to a fitting crescendo. But those highs are scattered, and the misfires far outnumber the successes. Kannappa movie cast: Vishnu Manchu, Prabhas, Mohanlal, Akshay Kumar, Kajal Aggarwal, Mohan Babu, R Sarathkumar, Brahmanandam, Brahmaji Kannappa movie director: Mukesh Kumar Singh Kannappa movie rating: 2.5 stars


Hindustan Times
16 minutes ago
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Frustrated Prabhas fan wants to sue Vishnu Manchu after watching Kannappa: ‘Where is Shiva, why are you showing heroism'
Mukesh Kumar Singh's Vishnu Manchu-starrer Kannappa was released in theatres on Friday to mixed reviews. The film received criticism for its first half, while most people on X (formerly Twitter) seem to have liked the second half. However, a frustrated Prabhas fan who spoke to IndiaGlitz wants to sue Vishnu after watching the film. (Also Read: Kannappa Twitter reviews: Vishnu Manchu's film has 'worst VFX since Adipurush' but movie 'peaks' with Prabhas' entry) Prabhas plays Rudra in Vishnu Manchu's devotional film Kannappa. In a video uploaded by the website, the Prabhas fan can be seen fuming after watching Kannappa. He said, 'I will file a case against him (Vishnu) for giving false information. What did he say in the press? Where is Shiva in the first half? I am a Prabhas fan, and I came here after watching the Bhakta Kannappa movie.' His biggest gripe, however, seemed to be that Kannappa wasn't like the 1976 film Bhakta Kannappa, which starred Prabhas' uncle Krishnam Raju. He said, 'His family gave you the rights to make this film. If it's your dream project, you can't change the film however you want. He gave false information in the trailer and in the press. When you promoted the movie as Bhakta Kannappa, why are you showing your heroism? Show the devotion instead. We came for Prabhas and watched him for 20 minutes in the second half; that's enough.' Even as the fan raged, another person pointed out in the video that they weren't even a fan of Vishnu, but that the film was good. One person commented under the video, 'Babu disclaimer chudakunda cinema ni elaa tappu battaali ane pani lo unnattunnaadu!! @themohanbabu antha base voice lo cheppaaru ga, Bhakta Kannappa story ni research chesi dani aadharam tho rasukunna kalpitha kadha ani. (You are just looking for fault without paying attention to the disclaimer. Mohan Babu says at the beginning of the film that they researched the story of Bhakta Kannappa and made this fictional film)' About Kannappa Kannappa is a devotional film based on the legend of Bhakta Kannappa, a devotee of Lord Shiva. It stars Vishnu, Akshay Kumar, Prabhas, Mohanlal, Kajal Aggarwal, Sarathkumar, Mohan Babu, Preity Mukhundhan and others. The film has been in the making for a decade. Prabhas plays Rudhra in the film, Akshay plays Shiva, and Vishnu plays Kannappa.


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