| Lakshmi Manchu | |
| Birth Name: | Manchu Lakshmi Prasanna[1] |
| Birth Date: | 8 October 1977[2] |
| Birth Place: | Madras, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Alma Mater: | Oklahoma City University |
| Spouse: | |
| Children: | 1 |
| Father: | Mohan Babu |
Manchu Lakshmi Prasanna (born 8 October 1977) is an Indian actress, film producer, and television presenter who works in Telugu cinema and worked in American television. The daughter of senior actor Mohan Babu, Manchu holds a bachelor's degree in theatre from Oklahoma City University.[3] She has garnered two Filmfare Awards South, and two State Nandi Awards.
Manchu made her acting debut with the American television series Las Vegas, where she played the minor role of Sarasvati Kumar, the love interest of James Lesure.[4] She then appeared in one episode of each of the following series: Desperate Housewives, Late Nights with my Lover and Mystery ER. She has also appeared in commercials for Toyota, AARP and Chevrolet.[5]
In 2006, she directed, produced and acted in Perfect Lives, a short film that was showcased at the Wilshire Fine Arts Theater as part of the La Femme Film Festival in Los Angeles.[6] She made her Theatre debut as Miss Trunchbull in the adaptation of Roald Dahl's Matilda, directed by Taher Ali Baig in 2016.[7]
Lakshmi Manchu is the only daughter of actor Mohan Babu and Vidya Devi. She has a younger brother, Vishnu Manchu and a younger paternal half-brother, Manoj Manchu.[8] [9] She was born in Chennai.[10]
Manchu married Andy Srinivasan, an IT professional from Chennai in 2006. The couple has a daughter born through surrogacy. They settled in Hyderabad[11] for a few years before moving to Mumbai.
Having started her career at the age of 4, Manchu has been in 20 feature films in India and few minor television roles in the U.S. She co-owns Sree Lakshmi Prasanna Pictures along with her family members, a production company that has produced fifty-six feature films to date.
In December 2011, she was signed on to portray a supporting role in Mani Ratnam's Tamil film Kadal after a successful audition. Portraying the role of Celina, a poor village woman, she expected this film to be her breakthrough but hardly got offers in Tamil after the film's release.[12]
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | The Ode | Najma | |||
| 2009 | Dead Air | Gabbi | |||
| Thank You for Washing | Phoebe | Short film | |||
| 2010 | Jhummandi Naadam | Narrator | Guest appearance | ||
| 2011 | Anaganaga O Dheerudu | Irendri | |||
| Dongala Mutha | Shiva | [13] | |||
| 2012 | Department | Satya Bhosle | |||
| Uu Kodathara? Ulikki Padathara? | Amrutha Valli | Telugu | |||
| 2013 | Kadal | Celina | |||
| Gundello Godari | Chitra | Telugu | |||
| Doosukeltha | Herself | Special appearance | |||
| 2014 | Chandamama Kathalu | Lisa Smith | [14] | ||
| A day in the life of Lakshmi Manchu's feet | Lakshmi Manchu | Silent | Short Film | ||
| 2015 | Budugu | Pooja | Telugu | ||
| Dongaata | Shruti | Also singer for "Yendiro Yendiro"[15] | |||
| Size Zero | Herself | Special appearance | |||
| Inji Iduppazhagi | Tamil | ||||
| 2016 | Guntur Talkies | Herself | Telugu | Special appearance | |
| 2017 | Basmati Blues | Sita | English | ||
| Lakshmi Bomb | Lakshmi & Priya | Telugu | |||
| 2018 | W/O Ram | Deeksha | |||
| Kaatrin Mozhi | Maria | Tamil | |||
| 2020 | Maa Vintha Gaadha Vinuma | Herself | Telugu | Special appearance[16] | |
| 2021 | Pitta Kathalu | Swaroopakka | Netflix film | ||
| 2022 | Monster | Durga / Catherine Alexandra | Malayalam | Debut Malayalam film[17] | |
| Telugu |
| Year | Film | Director | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Sri | ||
| 2008 | Nenu Meeku Telusa? | ||
| 2010 | Jhummandi Naadam | ||
| 2012 | Uu Kodathara? Ulikki Padathara? | Sekhar Raja | |
| 2013 | Gundello Godari | Kumar Nagendra | |
| 2015 | Dongaata | Vamsi Krishna |
| Year | Title | Role | Language | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–07 | Las Vegas | Sarasvati Kumar | English | Recurring role (11 episodes) | |
| 2006 | Boston Legal | Juror No. 6 | English | "Shock and Oww!" (season 2: episode 18) | |
| 2008 | Mystery ER | Dr. Baker | English | "Eating Away/A Model's Malady" (season 2: episode 5) | |
| Desperate Housewives | Nabila | English | "Kids Ain't Like Everybody Else" (season 5: episode 3) | ||
| 2019 | Mrs. Subbalakshmi | Mrs. Subbalakshmi | Telugu | ZEE5 originals web series[18] | |
| 2024 | Yakshini | Jwalamukhi | Telugu | Disney+ Hotstar web series[19] |
| Year | Title | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Lakshmi Talk Show | Host | |
| 2011 | Prematho Mee Lakshmi | Host | |
| 2012 | Luckunte Lakshmi | Host | |
| 2013 | Super Jodi | Judge | |
| 2013 | Doosukeltha | Host | |
| 2016 | Mee Kosam | Host | |
| 2016–2018 | Memusaitham | Host | |
| 2018 | Maharani | Host | |
| 2021 | Aha Bhojanambu | Host |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Filmfare Awards South | Anaganaga O Dheerudu | |||
| 2013 | Gundello Godari | ||||
| 2014 | Chandamama Kathalu | [20] | |||
| 2011 | South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Actor in a Negative Role – Telugu | Anaganaga O Dheerudu | ||
| 2013 | Best Supporting Actress – Telugu | Gundello Godari | [21] | ||
| 2015 | Best Actress – Telugu | Dongaata | |||
| 2011 | Anaganaga O Dheerudu | ||||
| 2014 | Chandamama Kathalu | ||||
| 2011 | CineMAA Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Anaganaga O Dheerudu | ||
| Santosham Film Awards | Best Villain | ||||
| [22] | |||||
| 2013 | Oklahoma City University | Alumni Hall of Honour Award | [23] | ||