Days ahead of the theatrical release of the Telugu film Martin Luther King (MLK) on October 27, its makers held screenings in Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Nellore, Warangal and Kurnool. Puja Kolluru, making her directorial debut with this Telugu adaptation of director Madonne Ashwin’s Tamil political satire Mandela starring Yogi Babu, says the idea stemmed from director Venkatesh Maha organising 15 screenings of his 2018 debut indie film Care of Kancharapalem inviting people from different walks of society, prior to its theatrical release. “He told me that if people like the film, they will spread the word.” Maha has co-produced MLK, headlined by Sampoornesh Babu, with Chennai-based Y Not Studios.
In this interview at her office in Hyderabad, Puja recalls observing the audience and says, “We were nervous about piracy. Luckily, everyone heeded our request and did not record footage on their phones. We also handed out paper crowns like the one seen on the film’s posters and asked them to wear them if they felt represented while watching the film. I teared up when I saw so many people wearing the crown while viewing the film at different points, in appreciation.”
Since Mandela is considered a niche film and has not been widely viewed on digital platforms in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, she believes it works to the advantage of MLK. Puja reveals that the idea of an adaptation came from Y Not Studios. The production house was keen on a Telugu adaptation and film critic Baradwaj Rangan had suggested Venkatesh Maha. “Maha was hesitant, not wanting to do another adaptation,” says Puja. His Uma Maheshwara Ugra Roopasya was an adaptation of the Malayalam film Maheshinte Prathikaram.
