Lakshmi Manchu Hits Back at Question on Her Dressing: "Would You Ask Mahesh Babu the Same Thing?

In a recent interview, actor Manchu Lakshmi schooled a journalist who questioned her dressing sense at the age of 47.

The actress is currently promoting her upcoming film Daksha: A Deadly Conspiracy, slated for release on September 19.

During a promotional interaction, a journalist asked her about her choice of attire, pointing out that she was nearing her 50s.

Manchu Lakshmi remained calm but delivered a firm response. Smiling, she asked, “How dare you! How dare you ask me that question?”

As the journalist tried to interrupt, she politely stopped him and asked whether he would pose the same question to Mahesh Babu. “Would you tell Mahesh Babu, ‘You are 50 now, why are you going shirtless?’”

When the journalist shook his head, she pressed on: “Then how do you ask a woman the same thing?”

Taking him to task, she reminded him that as a journalist, he carried the responsibility of shaping public perception.

Highlighting the challenges women face in the industry, she shared, “I know a superstar’s wife who is still in the industry. Films once offered to her were taken away after her divorce because they felt her ex-husband might object. She is waiting for good work. A man never faces this—his life goes on unchanged. But a woman carries enormous responsibility. No one grants us freedom; we must claim it ourselves.”

Outside of films, Lakshmi Manchu has also been in the news for her recent appearance before the Enforcement Directorate.

She is among several actors, including Rana Daggubati, Vijay Deverakonda, and Prakash Raj, named in a case linked to the promotion of betting apps.

She was also recently seen in Karan Johar’s reality show The Traitors India.