Actor and producer Lakshmi Manchu marked her Malayalam debut this year with the action thriller Monster starring veteran superstar Mohanlal. After its big screen release in October, the film began streaming on Disney+ Hotstar in early December. Though it has received a mixed response from the critics, it has been creating a lot of noise for a twist towards the climax, which sees Lakshmi and her co-actor Honey Rose engaging in intimate scenes. The duo, who play lesbians, has also shared liplocks in the film.
In an exclusive chat with News18, Lakshmi reveals that the feedback that she has received for the scenes has been extremely polar. “The response has been from ‘how could you do that?’ and people closing their eyes to me becoming their latest crush. I’ve heard it all (laughs),” she says. Nevertheless, performing the intimate scenes has been no cakewalk for her. She reveals, “I really didn’t think that it would be as difficult as it turned out to be. I’ve no inhibitions when it comes to doing an intimate scene be it with a girl or a boy. But when I had to do what I had to do in Monster, it wasn’t easy and I was like, ‘My god!’”
The Pitta Kathalu (2021) actor adds that it was the intent of the story that helped her believe and do the scenes. “I would’ve said no to this movie if these characters were just two killers. If it had a Charles Shobraj kind of a feel, I would have said, ‘Get lost!’ But in Monster, the intimacy portrayed was for a genuine reason. They were in love and it was pure, innocent and genuine love they shared ever since they were kids. Nobody is born a monster. The society creates them,” she elaborates.
Additionally, Lakshmi credits Honey for helping her pull the scenes off with ease as she remarks, “Honey Rose was such an amazing co-star. She was so giving. I thought I would be the rowdy one there but she really held the space for me during those scenes.”
The 45-year-old believes that Monster will help set a precedent as not many Malayalam films have portrayed female relationships and intimacy on-screen. She points out, “There have been homosexual characters in films, right from Kamal (Haasan; actor, filmmaker and politician) sir’s movie to anything that’s coming up. It’s just that we haven’t seen two women before so openly.”
Last year, Lakshmi took to social media to laud her peer Samantha Ruth Prabhu as she portrays a bisexual detective in her debut Hollywood project, Arrangements Of Love. Quiz her about it and Lakshmi believes that when popular celebrities like them become a part of subjects like this, it helps make a stronger statement. And known for her unconventional choices, she hopes to continue associating herself with hush-hush but important themes. “I hope this sets an example. I really want to be the torch-bearer of things that aren’t spoken about and normalise things that needs to be spoken. I’m just too blessed to have been able to work on a film like this. To be able to tell something like this through a film is very heart-touching,” she remarks.
The actor, who is currently shooting for Agni Nakshatram along with her father, Telugu star Mohan Babu, believes that onscreen intimacy between homosexual characters will stop creating noise only when a relationship between a man and a woman is normalised. “We’re still fighting to normalise man-woman relationship. But yes, I think homosexuality is a bigger struggle. I don’t know why people make it such a big deal. But we can came a long way from two lovers behind two flowers or a tree to actually be able to kiss onscreen! Hopefully, we will keep pushing these boundaries. People like you and I should be speaking loudly about this,” states the Desperate Housewives and Boston Legal actor.
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