Martin Luther King | |
---|---|
Directed by | Puja Kolluru |
Screenplay by | Venkatesh Maha |
Story by | Madonne Ashwin |
Based on | Mandela (2021) |
Produced by |
|
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Deepak Yaragera |
Edited by | Puja Kolluru |
Music by | Smaran |
Production companies |
|
Release date |
|
Country | India |
Language | Telugu |
Martin Luther King is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language political satire film directed by Puja Kolluru in her directorial debut. It was jointly produced by YNOT Studios, Reliance Entertainment, and Mahayana Motion Pictures. [1] This film's story is a remake of the Tamil movie Mandela, in which Yogi Babu played the lead role. Titled after the prominent American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, the film stars Sampoornesh Babu in the titular role, with Naresh, Sharanya Pradeep, and Venkatesh Maha playing supporting roles. [2]
The music for the film was composed by Smaran, and the cinematography was handled by Deepak Yaragera. In addition to directing, Puja Kolluru also took on the role of editor for the film. [3]
This article needs an improved plot summary.(December 2023) |
A man without a name or identity is suddenly courted by two warring groups when he receives a voter ID. Will he reap the benefits of his newfound privilege, or will he use it as a tool for social change?
YNOT Studios came up with the idea of adapting the Tamil film Mandela into Telugu, and as Baradwaj Rangan suggested, they approached Venkatesh Maha. However, Venkatesh Maha declined to do another remake, as he had already remade the Malayalam film Maheshinte Prathikaaram in Telugu as Uma Maheswara Ugra Roopasya . Subsequently, they chose Venkatesh's associate director, Puja Kolluru, to direct the film. Venkatesh wrote the screenplay and dialogue for the film, which is set in the town of Markapur. Sampoornesh Babu was later selected for the lead role. To prepare for the role of Smile, Sampoornesh underwent a forty-day workshop. [4]
The film's music was composed by Smaran. [5] [6]
Martin Luther King | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Soundtrack album by | ||||
Released | 2023 | |||
Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
Length | 18:16 | |||
Language | Telugu | |||
Label | YNOT Music | |||
Smaran chronology | ||||
|
The film was released on 27 October 2023. [7]
The film premiered on SonyLIV on 28 November 2023, in Telugu, as well as dubbed versions in Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi.
A critic from Sakshi gave the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote a mixed review. [8] Srivathsan Nadadhur of OTTPlay gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Director Puja Kolluru’s Martin Luther King is a sharp social commentary with a good dose of drama and humour." [9]
Shobana Chandrakumar Pillai is an Indian actress and Bharatanatyam dancer. She acts predominantly in Malayalam films along with Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada and English films. She has won two National Film Awards, one Kerala State Film Awards, two Filmfare Awards South with 14 Nominations for Best Actress Category in three different south Indian languages. She was honoured with Kalaimamani by Tamil Nadu State Government in 2011 and numerous other awards. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Shobana has starred in 230 films across several languages.
Edara Naresh, better known as Allari Naresh, is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Telugu films. Starring in over 55 films and known for his various comic roles, Naresh earned two Filmfare Awards South, one Nandi Award, and one South Indian International Movie Award for his work.
Vijaya Nirmala was an Indian actress, director, and producer known for her works predominantly in Telugu cinema along with a few Malayalam and Tamil films. In a career spanning over six decades, she acted in more than 200 films and directed 44 films. In 2002, she entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the female director who has directed the most number of films in the world. In 2008, she received the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award for lifetime achievement in Telugu cinema.
Nenu is a 2004 Indian Telugu-language romantic psychological thriller film released on 15 April 2004 starring Allari Naresh, Veda Archana, and Abhishek. This film was directed by E. Sathibabu and produced by Mullapudi Brahmanandam. It's a remake of Tamil blockbuster movie Kaadhal Kondein, which starred Dhanush and Sonia Agarwal in lead roles. The film was a flop at the box office but received good critical acclaim, mainly for Naresh's performance as a psychotic lover.
YNOT Studios is an Indian film production company in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, established by producer S. Sashikanth. As of 2023, the company has produced 21 feature films, which includes productions made in the Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi film industries of India. It has collaborated with filmmakers including Sudha Kongara, Balaji Mohan, Pushkar–Gayathri and Karthik Subbaraj.
Thirupathi Narasimhalunaidu Venkatesh, better known by his stage name Rockline Venkatesh, is an Indian actor and film producer known for his works in Kannada, Tamil and Hindi cinemas. He is the founder and owner of the production and distribution company, Rockline Entertainments which has directed over five films as of 2012. In 2015 he co-produced Bajrangi Bhaijaan which earned the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment at the 63rd National Film Awards.
Sanam Prasad Shetty is an Indian actress and model, who has worked predominantly in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. In 2020, she was a contestant on the reality series Bigg Boss 4 Tamil.
Drushyam (transl. Visual) is a 2014 Indian Telugu-language crime thriller film directed by Sripriya and jointly produced by D. Suresh Babu and Rajkumar Sethupathi. It is a remake of Jeethu Joseph's 2013 Malayalam film Drishyam and features Venkatesh, Meena, Esther Anil and Kruthika Jayakumar. Venkatesh and Kruthika plays the respective roles of Mohanlal and Ansiba Hasan in the original whereas Meena and Esther reprises their roles from the original film. The film tells the story of Rambabu, a middle-class cable TV operator, and his family. They come under suspicion when Varun, the son of the Inspector-general of police (IG), goes missing soon after harassing Rambabu's daughter. The rest of the film reveals how Varun disappeared and what Rambabu does to keep his family from going to prison.
Bandipotu (transl. Bandit) is a 2015 Indian Telugu language heist comedy film directed by Mohan Krishna Indraganti and features Allari Naresh and Eesha Rebba in the lead roles while Srinivas Avasarala, Posani Krishna Murali, Tanikella Bharani and Sampoornesh Babu appear in other pivotal roles. The film is produced by Aryan Rajesh on EVV Cinema banner and is titled based on the N. T. Rama Rao's 1963 film of the same name. Kalyani Koduri composed the music while P.G. Vinda and Dharmendra Kakarala handled the cinematography and editing of the movie respectively.
Narasimha Chary, popularly known by his screen name Sampoornesh Babu, is an Indian actor known for his works in the spoof comedy genre in Telugu cinema. He made his acting debut as the lead role in the 2014 film, Hrudaya Kaleyam, for which he won the CineMAA Award for Best Actor in a Comic Role. He was a contestant in Bigg Boss Telugu.
C/o Kancharapalem is a 2018 Telugu-language slice of life anthology film written and directed by debutant Venkatesh Maha. It was produced by American filmmaker Praveena Paruchuri and distributed by Rana Daggubati under the banner of Suresh Productions. The film features a cast of over 80 non-actors, most of them native to Kancharapalem, a neighbourhood of Visakhapatnam where the film is set. The plot follows four unconventional love stories in parallel, all set in the neighbourhood of Kancharapalem.
Karthik Rathnam is an Indian actor who works in Telugu theatre and Telugu cinema. Rathnam made his debut with the critically acclaimed film C/o Kancharapalem (2018), which was the first Telugu film to be screened at New York Film Festival. Followed by his appearance in ZEE5's Gods of Dharmapuri (G.O.D), Rathnam reprised his role in Tamil remake of C/o Kancharapalem.
Venkatesh Maha is an Indian film director, screenwriter and actor who works in Telugu cinema. He's known for directing films such as C/o Kancharapalem (2018) and Uma Maheswara Ugra Roopasya (2020).
Selfie Raja is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language comedy film starring Allari Naresh, Sakshi Chaudhary, and Kanwa Ranawat. It is a remake of the Kannada film Victory (2013). At the time of release, the film proved to be the highest-grossing film for Allari Naresh.
Drushyam 2 is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language crime thriller film written and directed by Jeethu Joseph. It is a remake of his 2021 Malayalam film Drishyam 2 and sequel to Drushyam (2014). The film was jointly produced by D. Suresh Babu, Antony Perumbavoor, Rajkumar Sethupathi, and Jacob K. Babu through the companies Suresh Productions, RajKumar Theatres, and Max Movies. It stars Venkatesh, Meena, Nadhiya, Naresh, Kruthika and Esther Anil reprising their roles from first part, with Sampath Raj and Poorna as new additions. The story takes place six years after the events of Drushyam.
Mandela is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language political satire television film written and directed by Madonne Ashwin on his directorial debut and produced by S. Sashikanth and Ramachandra of YNOT Studios while director Balaji Mohan, co-produced the film under his banner Open Window Productions. The film being titled after the late South African President Nelson Mandela, stars Yogi Babu in the titular lead role while Sheela Rajkumar, Kanna Ravi, Sangili Murugan and G. M. Sundar play supportive roles. The music for the film is composed by Bharath Sankar, whereas cinematography and editing were handled by Vidhu Ayyanna and Philomin Raj respectively.
Dhanalakshmi, I Love You is a 2002 Indian Telugu-language comedy film directed by Siva Nageswara Rao and starring Allari Naresh, Aditya Om, Naresh, and Ankitha.The film is a remake of the 2000 Hindi film Hera Pheri by Priyadarshan which itself was based on Siddique–Lal's 1989 Malayalam film Ramji Rao Speaking.
Erra Mallelu is a 1981 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by Dhavala Satyam from a story written by Madala Ranga Rao. The film stars Ranga Rao, Murali Mohan, Giri Babu and Ranganath. It revolves around two men starting a revolution against their village chiefs and the owner of a factory in the neighbouring village.
Malli Pelli (transl. Remarriage) is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film written and directed by M. S. Raju. The film stars Naresh, Pavitra Lokesh and Vanitha Vijayakumar with Jayasudha, Sarath Babu, Ananya Nagalla, Roshan, Ravivarma, and Annapurna in supporting roles. The story of Naresh and Pavithra's actual marriage is partially romanticized in the film.
Puja Kolluru is a filmmaker from the Telugu film industry. She has garnered attention for her directorial debut, Martin Luther King a 2023 Indian Telugu-language political satire film, a remake of Mandela.