'Crazy Uncles' will hit the screens on August 19. In this interview, singer-actor Mano talks about the comedy entertainer. He also shares a lot of other things, including an anecdote involving Superstar Rajinikanth.

Excerpts:

'Crazy Uncles' is a crazy and funny movie that will give pleasure to the audience. It's the story of a handful of friends who are above the age of 50. I have played a gold merchant. My friends have played a financier and a builder. More than the others, my character is jovial in the movie.

Raju, Reddy and Rao are the names of the lead men in our movie. The original title was 'RRR'. But the same was already booked by Rajamouli garu's producer. The three men are attracted to a female singer. They fall into trouble because of this and how they extricate themselves out of the situation is the crux of 'Crazy Uncles'. I, Raja Ravindra, and Sreemukhi have known each other well. So, it was easy to bond on the sets of the movie. The three men fall into a trap because of the singer's personal secretary.

'Crazy Uncles' is for the younger generation, who will one day be middle-aged. When one is settled in life, he searches for new avenues of recreation. That psychology is shown in the movie.

It's true that 'Jabardasth' and such shows are offering ready-made comedy to the audience. When we made 'Crazy Uncles', we made it with the full faith that the audience will bless us. I believe in the Supreme Power. I do what is in my hands. The rest is left to God.

'Crazy Uncles' can be seen as a cautionary tale. It will make middle-aged people think before taking a leap.

I don't see any major changes in the way stories are told in movies. We are a sentimental country. We are family people and our emotions drive our lives. Compared to the past, we have become more welcoming of new content.

I am not as fast-paced in recording songs as I was four years ago. I have slowed down. I have juggled languages for decades. These days, it has become easy to spot acting talent because of YouTube and social media. Having rendered 25,000 songs for movies in 13 languages, I know the changes that have happened.

There is a nice artist in every singer. Within four walls, he expresses himself while singing.

I enjoy watching comedy and playing comedy roles. I happened to sing a Ghazal in the presence of MS Viswanathan garu, the music composer, when I was a child artist. He advised me to try my hand at singing. The great man felt that I would have a great future as a singer. I am a trained singer. My parents were into playing instruments. I took interest in stage play-acting in order to make money (laughs).

I advise the younger generation not to be carried away by instant fame in the age of social media. They are superb singers, there is no doubt about it. To this day, I exercise my vocals for an hour every day. There is a lot to learn from an SP Balu garu. He practised relentlessly. I feel fortunate to have got to work with him. The likes of SPB were humble despite the fact that they sang thousands of songs.

It's true that I am not singing as much as I used to. I used to sing hero-intro songs, whose styles have undergone a lot of change over the years. Nowadays, songs and fights have been placed randomly in films.

I am yet to dub for Rajinikanth garu's 'Annaatthe'. He is energetic even at 70. One night, it was 10 when I was about to sleep off. Rajini sir called me up and when he said he is Rajinikanth, I asked him which Rajinikanth it is. I was thinking some friend was playing a prank on me. I apologized to him after he assured me it's him for real. He told me that my dubbing in 'Sivaji' was extraordinary. He asked me to seek a wish from him and I requested a Briyani dine-out with him!