Mumbai, June 28 : Tollywood actor Vishnu Manchu has been receiving a lot of praise for his performance in "Kannappa". Now, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma also expressed his admiration for the actor through a heartfelt WhatsApp message.

The message shared by Manchu on his X (Earlier known as Twitter) timeline started off with an admission of RGV's disinterest in mythological movies. "To start with I am not into both gods and devotees, and because of that I will never ever see a film which deals with such subject matter," he wrote.

Next, the filmmaker recalled watching the original film four times during his college days. "I saw it for the hero, heroine, and songs, and not for the subject," he explained.

Lauding Manchu's performance RGV added, "As Thinnadu you didn't just act but you embodied a temple of faith like a high priest, wielding a ferocity that left me breathless."

Ram Gopal Varma in particular was in love with the climax, where Kannappa offers his eyes to stop the bleeding of the Shiva lingam.

Describing it as a heart-wrenching scene that elevated Manchu's acting prowess, he admitted that being an atheist he would not have usually liked the scene, but Manchu made him fall in love with it.

"And your raw sincerity as you surrender to Shiva is a masterclass in the sincerity of emotional depth you expressed and your face in those moments was a canvas of anguish with a painting of reverence," the director concluded.

Returning the love, Manchu admitted that this has been one of the most challenging times his his life. "Ramu Garu! You just made me cry. I have been holding my tears for a lot time. Not to lose it because I believed I can sail through. This has been one of the most challenging time in my life and everywhere I turned, everyone were either in doubt or hate," Manchu replied.

"This text message is like a dream come true for the actor in me," he captioned the post.

/IANS