Actor and producer · Telugu cinema
Lakshmi Manchu
Lakshmi Manchu movies: 15 Telugu films on file (12 as actor, 6 as producer), 2005–2026. Earliest on file: Sree (2005). Latest release: Lechindi Mahila Lokam (26 March 2026).
- Films on file
- 15 (12 as actor, 6 as producer)
- Years on file
- 2005–2026
- Born
- 8 October 1976 · October birthdays (Wikidata)
- Selected films on file
- Once Upon a Warrior, Size Zero, Sree
- Record
- Q6479877 on Wikidata
Lakshmi Manchu (Manchu Lakshmi Prasanna) is an Indian actress, producer and television presenter who works in Telugu cinema and has also acted in American television. The daughter of the actor Mohan Babu, she won the Nandi Award for Best Villain for her role as Irendri in Anaganaga O Dheerudu (2011), and Filmfare awards for Gundello Godari (2013) and Chandamama Kathalu (2014).
Wikipedia gives her birth date as 8 October 1977, while Wikidata gives 8 October 1976; both say she was born in Chennai. She is the only daughter of Mohan Babu and Vidya Devi; the actors Vishnu Manchu and Manoj Manchu are her younger brother and half-brother. She holds a bachelor’s degree in theatre from Oklahoma City University.
Career
In the United States she played Sarasvati Kumar in the series Las Vegas and had single-episode roles in shows including Desperate Housewives. In 2006 she directed, produced and acted in the short film Perfect Lives, shown at the La Femme Film Festival in Los Angeles.
In Telugu she played Irendri in Anaganaga O Dheerudu, released in English as Once Upon a Warrior, and Shiva in Dongala Mutha (2011). She played Amrutha Valli in Uu Kodathara? Ulikki Padathara? (2012), Chitra in Gundello Godari, Lisa Smith in Chandamama Kathalu and Shruti in Dongaata (2015), for which she also sang. She made special appearances in Doosukeltha (2013), Size Zero (2015) and Guntur Talkies (2016). In Mani Ratnam’s Tamil film Kadal (2013) she played Celina, a village woman.
Her later work includes the Netflix anthology Pitta Kathalu (2021), as Swaroopakka, the Malayalam film Monster (2022) and the title role in Daksha (2025); our records also list Lechindi Mahila Lokam (2026). She co-owns the family production company Sree Lakshmi Prasanna Pictures and has hosted television shows. In 2016 she made her stage debut as Miss Trunchbull in an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Matilda.
Awards
- Nandi Awards: Best Villain for Anaganaga O Dheerudu and Best Supporting Actress for Chandamama Kathalu (Nandi Best Villain list; Supporting Actress list).
- Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress – Telugu for Gundello Godari and Chandamama Kathalu (Wikipedia winners list).
- SIIMA Awards: Best Actor in a Negative Role for Anaganaga O Dheerudu and Best Supporting Actress for Gundello Godari (Wikipedia winners list).
Upcoming films
No upcoming film of hers is on our records. New films appear on upcoming Telugu movies as they are recorded.
Where to watch her films
- Pitta Kathalu: Netflix, from 19 February 2021, per Wikipedia
- Doosukeltha: Aha, per the platform listing (OTT details)
Catalogues change; check the platform before you plan to watch.
Personal life
She married Andy Srinivasan, an IT professional from Chennai, in 2006, according to Wikipedia, citing the Deccan Chronicle. They have a daughter.
Sources: Wikipedia and the references it cites (linked above), Wikidata, and Tollywood Desk’s film and OTT records.
Career on file
Lakshmi Manchu has 15 Telugu films on file at Tollywood Desk, dated from 2005 to 2026: 12 films as actor and six films as producer. The earliest of them is Sree (2005), and the most recent release is Lechindi Mahila Lokam (2026). The most widely covered of these, counted by Wikipedia language editions, are Once Upon a Warrior (2011), Size Zero (2015) and Sree (2005). Other recent releases on file are Daksha (2025), Pitta Kathalu (2021) and Guntur Talkies (2016).
Brahmanandam is the most frequent co-star, sharing four films with Lakshmi Manchu, followed by Shruti Haasan (2) and Prakash Raj (2). Among directors, Prakash Kovelamudi and Praveen Sattaru each cast Lakshmi Manchu in two films, more than any other director. M. M. Keeravani and Mickey J. Meyer each scored two of them, more than any other music director. Manchu Entertainment produced four of them, more than any other banner on file. Across these films the credits on file name 15 different directors, 15 music directors and 56 other credited actors.
Runtime is on file for 8 of them; they average 138 minutes, and the longest is Doosukeltha at 161 minutes. Three of them have a streaming (OTT) release noted on the site. By decade the list splits into 2000s (2), 2010s (10) and 2020s (3).
Figures come from the films on file at Tollywood Desk and change as records are added.