Lakshmi Manchu Learnt To Smoke For Chandamama Kathalu

Director Praveen Sattaru says he made actress Lakshmi Manchu learn to smoke for her role in Telugu anthology film Chandamama Kathalu. He says it was essential for her character. She plays supermodel Lisa Smith in the film, which is touted to be Telugu cinema's first anthology movie.

Praveen Sattaru said, "Lakshmi doesn't smoke in real life but I wanted her to smoke for the role. She initially hesitated but after she understood how essential it was for her role, she agreed to do it." He added, "I wanted her to look authentic, so she had to smoke for a while to actually look like a super model. It wasn't easy, but she did it for the role. Her role will be one of the highlights of the film."

Chandamama Kathalu features eight short stories starring Chaitanya Krishna, Naresh, Aamani, Richa Panai and Krishnudu. The film, which is produced by Chanakya Bhooneti under the banner of A Working Dream Production, has Mickey J Meyer's music and background score, Suresh Ragutu's cinematography and Dharmendra Kakarala's editing.

Released in theatres across the globe today (April 25), Chandamama Kathalu has garnered mixed response from both film critics and viewers. The lead actors performances, interesting screenplay and sound production values are the highlights of the film, but the dragging narration and a few illogical scenes are its drawbacks.