The lines are blurring between Hindi and south film industries as Bollywood actors are taking a stab at south movies, and vice versa. Lakshmi Manchu then couldn’t have chosen a better time to shift base to Mumbai. Moving cities is a leap of faith, but the Telugu film actor says she needed to expand her horizons. “I had to give Mumbai an honest shot. In the south, I have explored a wide range of roles, but I want to push the envelope. My lineage is a double-edged sword. My roles in the south come with certain limitations. In Mumbai, the range of work is wider. I am ready to explore web series and movies,” says the actor.

Manchu, Telugu star Mohan Babu’s daughter, comes with a 20-year acting career behind her. In the past 18 years, she has also taken on the role of a producer. But the 46-year-old wants to approach Bollywood with a clean slate. “I’m open to auditions, and will hop from office to office for meetings. I’m not a star kid in Mumbai. There is substantial cross-industry work happening, and it’s a good time for me to start afresh.”