'Martin Luther King', starring Sampoornesh Babu in the lead, will head to the theatres on October 27. Described as a responsible political satire, the film is a remake of the Tamil film 'Mandela'.
In this interview, its lead man and creative producer-writer Venkatesh Maha of 'Care Of Kancharapalem' fame talk about the film in length. They say that the film is more of an adaptation that will subject the audience to an emotional experience. "We have screened the film to 1200 people so far. They experienced different emotions. The audience will feel that they are the real kings after watching the movie," Maha says.
Sampoornesh Babu:
The film shows a new Sampoornesh Babu. The dialogues I have uttered in 'MLK' are a total contrast. In my previous films, I played exaggerated, spoofy roles. 'Hridaya Kaleyam' was a total surprise. 'MLK' is a total surprise, again, but in a different sense altogether.
I just had to behave like the character. I play a cobbler in 'MLK'. I had to approach the character like a newcomer. The credit goes to the director.
We have held public premieres and the response has been encouraging. Many in the industry feel that I have got to play a befitting role. After 'MLK', I feel I have become more socially responsible.
I have never accepted bribe money from any political party. I have always cast my vote without such inducements. I discourage my family members from accepting bribes from parties during elections.
As an actor, you have to be like an empty bottle into which anything can be poured. An artist has to be adaptable.
Venkatesh Maha:
I was offered the responsibility of a director by YNot Studios. I have never been inclined to do remakes. 'Uma Maheshwara Ugra Roopasya' was a one-off remake from me. 'Mandela' is an important story for every democracy. I showed interest in the project for that reason. Puja Kolluru volunteered to wield the remake and we all played ball.
'MLK' is a cultural adaptation of 'Mandela'. Sampoornesh Babu was not zeroed in on until the last minute. His face flashed in my mind just a day before I was scheduled to meet with YNot Studios. He auditioned for the role. We did an acting workshop as well. New techniques were implemented during the workshop phase. We ensured that Sampoornesh's walking style was right as a starting point.
Cobblers are looked down upon in Telugu culture. That's why we chose that profession. They are oppressed socially.
I didn't want to wield the megaphone because I was scared that I might adopt the same tone adopted by the director of the Tamil original. I felt some other director, who can lend freshness, should do the director's job. Puja fits the bill. The producers too were happy with the decision. Puja and Sampoornesh are the best that have happened to 'MLK'. Puja is straightforward and frank. That way, she is already a great filmmaker!
This film was ready by February this year. The original plan was to release it in theatres in May. Due to other releases that May, we couldn't go ahead with the release. Coincidentally, our film is coming out at a time when the election fever is on.
My film with Rajasekhar garu was about Magic Realism. My vision was very detailed and huge. I gave 15 narrations running into 4 to 4.5 hours each to different individuals. I was asked to tinker with the foundational idea of the film by them all. I was not ready. That's why that project has been a non-starter. 'Marmaanuvu' (a crowdfunding film) is going to be a psychological thriller with magical realism. I have also an action film in mind with Satyadev. I want to tell stories that nobody is telling.
