Manchu Manoj back as solo lead with a pre-Independence drama

Manchu Manoj is set to return as a lead actor after an eight-year gap with David Reddy, a film that places him in a markedly different visual and narrative space. The first look reveals Manoj with darkened skin and a rugged appearance, a shift the makers say is rooted in the story rather than stylisation.Explaining the design, debutant director Hanuma Reddy Yakkanti says, “The darkened skin is part of the character’s identity. It comes from a sequence where David Reddy falls into an oil container during an attack on a British unit.” He adds, “Manoj’s appearance has been completely altered. It is very different from the roles he has played earlier, and he prepared extensively with changes in hairstyle and costumes.” Set between 1897 and 1922, the film unfolds in a pre-Independence backdrop. “David Reddy is a fictional character, but the incidents around him are real,” Yakkanti says. “We created one character and placed him inside history so the audience feels like they are living in that time.”