Viswant Finds 'Manamantha' co-star Mohanlal Both Humble, Supportive

Chennai: Actor Viswant, who has shared screen space with Malayalam superstar Mohanlal in upcoming Telugu drama Manamantha, describes the experience of working with the veteran as his career-high moment.

"For someone like me who is just a film old, to act besides Mohanlal sir is like a career-high moment. Despite being a superstar, he is so humble and supportive. When I met him on the sets, he initiated a conversation and made me feel comfortable, Viswant told IANS, adding that his first shot in the film was with Mohanlal.

He admits he was nervous initially.

"I wanted to get the first take right in the first attempt. It's called the golden take and I was very particular nothing went wrong.

"However, when I learnt my first shot was with Mohanlal sir, I was slightly nervous but luckily everything went smoothly," he said, crediting the Drishyam actor's support.

"I realised Mohanlal sir is very good at improvising on the spot. If his co-star fumbles a bit, he knows how to improvise and take the scene forward," he added.

Directed by National Award winning filmmaker Chandrasekhar Yeleti, the film also stars veteran actress Gauthami Tadimalla.

Working with Gauthami was equally special for Viswant.

"On the sets, I voluntarily went and spoke to her. One of the best qualities about her is that she is very punctual. If the shoot is at 7 a.m., she will be there on time and not even a minute late. There's so much to learn from her," he said.

The film, which is slated for release in July, is about four different individuals and how they cross paths.

For Viswant, never did he feel like he "worked" on this project.

"It felt like a journey. We all worked with the 'let's do it' attitude. This project was a big confidence booster and by the time we finished working, it felt like I had worked in five films. Everybody was so warm and welcoming on the sets," he said.

Commenting on his collaboration with director Yeleti, he said: "People have a lot of presumptions about him. They say he only makes offbeat films but I think his films are one-of-a-kind. Only when you talk to him, you know he is very sweet and friendly."

Produced by Sai Korrapati, the film will also be released in Malayalam as Vismayam, and has music by Mahesh Shankar.