It may be by design or coincidence that the Telugu political satire Martin Luther King, an adaptation of director Madonne Ashwin’s Tamil film Mandela, is releasing in theatres a month before the elections in Telangana. Nevertheless, it is a relevant and timely film. Debut director Puja Kolluru retains the essence of Madonne Ashwin’s story and uses Venkatesh Maha’s screenplay and dialogues rooted in the milieu of Telugu States to remind us that voting is both our right and a privilege. Soaked in humour, the Sampoornesh Babu starrer explores the intersections of politics, caste and class, asserting that even a single vote can be a powerful tool to bring about social change.
To begin with, it is imperative to state that Martin Luther King (MLK) works beautifully, irrespective of whether you have watched Mandela. One aspect that works in favour of this adaptation is the casting of Sampoornesh Babu in the title role. He has that face-in-the-crowd persona required to play this part, just like actor Yogi Babu in the Tamil original.
MLK unravels in a far-flung, arid village that has not witnessed any significant development, thanks to two warring groups that are referred to as Northerners and Southerners. An elderly leader in the village has two wives; he apparently married one woman from each groups to bring some semblance of unity and peace to the village! Decades later, he is withering and watching his two sons — Jagjivan Ram (Naresh) and Lokamanya Tilak (Venkatesh Maha) — continuing the war between the two groups. They may be named after freedom fighters, but they care less about the country or their village. Fights break out over the smallest issues such as who will inaugurate the lone public toilet or who will use it first. Caste pride overrides everything else.
