At the moment, Vishnu Manchu is preparing for the release of Kannappa, his next film. Prabhas and Mohanlal play the main roles in the movie, which was allegedly produced on a budget of more than Rs 200 crore. But did you know that Vishnu didn’t give each of these celebrities a single cent for his movie?

Vishnu Manchu said in a recent interview that Prabhas and Mohanlal performed Kannappa without charging any fees. “Two people helped me greatly to make the film what it is today: Mohanlal and Prabhas,” he said to SCREEN, expressing his thanks to both. Since Mohanlal is such a tremendous superstar, he didn’t actually need to play a minor part in my movie, but he decided to do it for less than a minute because he loves and respects my father.”

Second, Prabhas. He is one of my best friends. He is one of Asia’s greatest stars, not only in India. He was not required to play this part either. However, he agreed right away when I told him that I would need his help to get my video in front of more people. He said, “He didn’t even want to hear about his part in the movie.”

The actor said that when Prabhas offered him a payment for his services, he even threatened to kill him. Prabhas and Mohanlal both performed the part without spending a dime. They would shout at me each time I asked them to estimate their rates. “Itne bade aadmi hogaye ho ki humein paise doge?” they would ask. You grew up with me, Mohanlal remarked, and now you dare to compensate me for my labor? He replied, “Prabhas threatened to kill me.”

Additionally, Vishnu said that Akshay Kumar charged far less than his usual costs, even though Prabhas and Mohanlal did not demand any money.

Bringing to life the remarkable journey of Kannappa Nayanar, a respected Shaivite saint renowned for his unwavering devotion to Lord Shiva, Kannappa digs deep into our past. The film Kannappa, which is directed by Mukesh Kumar Singh and produced by M. Mohan Babu, is expected to be a cinematic masterpiece that combines traditional storytelling with state-of-the-art technology to achieve a breathtaking visual extravaganza. The movie is scheduled for global release on April 25, 2025.