‘Venky Is Like Our Family’

Victory Venkatesh’s appearance as Venky Gowda in Chiranjeevi’s Mana Shankaravaraprasad Garu has become one of the biggest highlights of the film. His entry scene is drawing loud whistles in theatres and many viewers feel it lifts the film to another level. With such a powerful multistarrer moment, social media quickly started speculating about how much Venkatesh was paid for the role.

Putting an end to the rumours, producer Sushmita Konidela opened up in a recent interview. Without revealing exact figures, she made it clear that money was never the focus. “Venky garu is like our family. What he gave to this film is priceless,” she said, stressing that his presence itself was more valuable than any remuneration.

Sushmita revealed that when Venkatesh was approached for the role, he did not hesitate even for a moment. His close bond with Chiranjeevi and the importance of the character in the story made him say yes instantly. She also mentioned that he showed great generosity when it came to payment.

She praised director Anil Ravipudi for designing the Venky Gowda character so effectively and credited Venkatesh for bringing it alive with his energy and timing. According to her, the goal was to create a memorable theatrical moment purely for audience entertainment, not to chase numbers.