Lord of the Rings inspires epic scale of Manchu Vishnu's 'Kannappa'

It is known that a large parcel of land, spread over 9,000 acres, was rented in New Zealand for filming Kannappa . Authentic places of dwelling were erected to reflect the period setting. What made actor-producer Manchu Vishnu opt for such an expansive production? He was inspired by the splendour of The Lord of The Rings world. The base story was pitched by Tanikella Bharani garu many years ago. I expanded its span later. I have always been a huge fan of The Lord of the Rings series. As a college-goer, I extensively read JRR Tolkien's three-part fantasy novel. I intensely watched the Lo TR movies. I saw scope to put Bhakta Kannappa in a big world. Bharani garu was not ready to direct such an ambitious movie. I roped in a storyboard artist from the US. We travelled to Sri Kala-Hasthi and worked with others. We did location scouting in several countries. It was in 2019 that I zeroed in on New Zealand . I knew this is where my Kannappa had to be. The visuals in the movie are extraordinary, Vishnu said. Kannappa , with roles for Prabhas, Akshay Kumar, Mohanlal, Mohan Babu and others, will be released in theatres on June 27th . Also Read : Dhanush on Kuberaa: Playing a beggar was a wholly different experience Hari Hara Veera Mallu: Ignore all speculated release dates