Santosh Shoban, Manasa Varanasi interview |

Описание: In this interview with Jeevi from Idlebrain.com, actors Santosh Shoban and Manasa Varanasi discuss their upcoming urban romance, #CoupleFriendly, which releases on February 14, 2026 [00:11].

Core Themes and Plot

The Story: The film follows Shiva (Santosh) and Mitra (Manasa), two strangers searching for work and their own identities, who meet in a unique, organic way. Their journey takes them through Nellore, Chittoor, Chennai, and Kerala [04:25], [05:01], [17:09].

Realistic Romance: The actors emphasize that the film portrays a deeply real relationship involving both emotional and physical intimacy. They clarify that scenes like a kiss or lovemaking are integral to the character's realization and growth, rather than for "eye-ball attracting" effect [06:44], [08:35].

The Title: The title #CoupleFriendly refers to the modern concept of non-judgmental spaces for couples, such as hotel rooms, which serves as a setup for the story [05:44].

Production and "Gorilla" Filmmaking

Gorilla Style: Much of the film was shot in real locations using "gorilla filmmaking" techniques—sometimes hiding cameras to capture authentic reactions from people in public spaces without troubling them [01:38], [16:12].

Intensive Workshops: To prepare for this realistic approach, the team conducted month-long workshops. They visited locations months in advance to block and rehearse scenes, ensuring they were fully prepped before actual shooting [01:23], [02:25].

Language and Dialogue: The director, Ashwin Chandrasekar, is from a Telugu family settled in Chennai. The cast worked closely to translate and adapt lines from Tamil to Telugu to ensure the dialogue felt natural and conversational [03:08], [21:23].

Personal Reflections
Santosh Shoban’s Hunger: After a two-year hiatus and some past disappointments, Santosh expresses a renewed hunger and fire for making better cinema. He also speaks warmly of his brother Sangeeth Shobhan’s success, viewing it as a "collective success" for their family [13:08], [18:02].

Manasa Varanasi’s Debut: The former Miss India discusses her shift from finance and the glamour of pageantry to the "rusty" and "liberating" world of acting. For this role, she had to "unlearn" the polished pageant look, often appearing on screen without makeup to authentically portray Mitra [22:14], [26:53], [27:09].

Legacy: Santosh briefly touches upon his connection to Rebel Star Prabhas, noting that the he has been a "guardian angel" out of goodwill for Santosh's late father [19:38].

Future Projects

Manasa: She is currently in the workshop stage for a unique Tamil film [29:25].

Santosh: He recently finished an extended cameo in a Tamil film directed by Pandiraj and is working on several other "cool" Telugu projects starting after February [29:50], [30:09].