'Dynamite' is Telugu cinema's first martial arts film: Vishnu Manchu

Actor-producer Vishnu Manchu promises never seen before high-octane action in his forthcoming Telugu release "Dynamite", which he claims is the first martial arts film in the language.

Releasing in cinemas on Friday, the film is the official remake Tamil hit "Arima Nambi".

"It's an out-and-out action film. It will be Telugu cinema's first martial arts film. When I say martial arts, it won't be the kind you see in foreign movies. This will be a very different kind of action derived from a form of martial arts," Vishnu told IANS.

For the role, he even underwent special training in mixed martial arts.

"Since we wanted the action to be very realistic, I'd decided to get trained. I spent nearly three months on learning mixed martial arts. It was an intense training program," he said.

He also learnt and performed the stunts without a body double.

Asked why he took such risks, he said: "I love realism. You need to be able to do stunts that will enthrall the audience from the beginning to the end. The fans love their hero to do stunts and I told my director that I wouldn't like any compromises. So, I went to Bangkok, which is one of the finest destinations for learning stunts."

The film, according to Vishnu, will be a one-of-its-kind action entertainer in Telugu cinema.

"The action will be the biggest highlight of the film. Contrary to how action is portrayed in mainstream Telugu filmdom, what you see in 'Dynamite' is very realistic. A lot of action takes place on the run. It's more of run-hit-run-hit-run kind of action," he said, and added that the remake is even more action-packed than the original.

"You don't see this kind of a film often in Telugu. And this is not your regular action flick, though there's action throughout the film. 'Dynamite' ventures into a new genre that our industry is not familiar with.

"When we watched the rushes of the film in the edit room, people said they felt like watching an English film. They did a brilliant job in Tamil and we kind of neatly adapted it," he added.

The film is directed by Deva Katta, and also features Kannada film actress Pranitha Subhash in an important role.

Talking about collaborating with Katta for the first time, Vishnu said: "Initially, Deva was a little apprehensive about my mass appeal and wasn't sure if he could do justice to it with this kind of film. Keeping all that in mind, he has made the film in such a way that it will appeal to everybody."

"Dynamite" is produced by Vishnu's home banner 24 Frames Factory, and also features J.D. Chakravarthy and Nagineedu in important roles.