Manchu Manoj gets emotional as Mirai receives overwhelming response at the box office: ‘Many warned against casting me'

Actor Manchu Manoj, who returned to the big screen after a long hiatus, grew emotional at the success event of Mirai in Hyderabad on Saturday. The actor revealed that several people had warned director Karthik Ghattamaneni and producer TG Vishwa Prasad against casting him in a big project.“Even before HanuMan’s teaser was released, he believed in Teja Sajja and me. I know many warned him against casting me in a big film like this because it has been a while since I acted. But he believed in me and my talent. Hats off to him for that,” Manoj said, acknowledging the producer’s support through negativity.The actor admitted that the film’s response has been overwhelming after such a long gap. “It has probably been 10-12 years since my phone rang like this; it still feels like a dream. It took me a while to even get back to everyone who has been calling,” he shared, while thanking Karthik for placing trust in him.He also opened up about overcoming personal fears. “I never said this out loud, but I’ve had an inherent fear of whether I could look after my kids the way I was brought up. I no longer have that fear now,” Manoj added.While Manoj is making headlines for his comeback, his family has also been in the spotlight for the past year due to internal disputes. On the day of Mirai’s release, however, his brother Manchu Vishnu extended a rare congratulatory note on social media: “Congratulations on the film Mirai, may God bless you.” Manoj replied, “Thank you so much, Anna. From team #Mirai, alias #BlackSword.”The exchange led to speculation that the brothers, who had been at odds following Manoj’s complaint against their father Mohan Babu last December, may be inching toward reconciliation.