Lakshmi Manchu, daughter of veteran actor Mohan Babu, transitioned from child acting in Indian cinema to Hollywood after starring in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam films. In a recent interview, she highlighted differences between Hollywood and Indian cinema, criticising the excessive number of people on Indian sets. She questioned the necessity of large entourages, a topic currently debated in Bollywood amid cost-cutting measures.
Lakshmi Manchu discussed the differences she noticed between Hollywood and Indian cinema, saying, "In Indian cinema, each language—Tamil, Telugu, Hindi—has its own nuances. As an actor, it's about adapting to these differences. In America, less is more. I brought that approach to India; if given four pages of dialogue, I aim to condense it to one page and enhance it through performance and behaviour. There's a significant contrast, but that's the beauty of portraying diverse roles."
Discussing cultural differences between Hollywood and Indian cinema, Manchu explained, "Coming from a family of actors, I'm accustomed to Indian sets. In South India, it's customary to stand up and greet senior actors when they enter. In America, they found it amusing and discouraged me from standing up repeatedly when older actors arrived, saying, 'Please, don't get up every time I enter the room.'"
