April 22, 2018
When Shekhar Kapoor opined after chairing the National Film
Awards jury that there is no such thing as regional cinema any longer, he hadnt
seen the new Mahesh Babu starrer "Bharath Ane Nenu", a wish-fulfilment parable
on a new political awakening, which has already earned more than Rs 70 crore
over the first weekend. And growing stronger by the idea.
The elated
director, Koratala Siva, is over the moon.
"We always knew our film will
strike a chord among the masses. Indian politics has hit an all-time low in many
places. There is widespread disillusionment with the people we elect to
represent us in Parliament. Why is there no accountability in governance? This
is what bothered me when I got down to writing Bharath Ane Nenu," says Siva
whose four Telugu films so far (Mirchi in 2013, Srimanthudu in 2015, Janatha
Garage in 2016 and now Bharath Ane Nenu) reveal a very high level of special
commitment.
"Promise," says Siva, "was the key to the plot in Bharath Ane
Nenu. When politicians are elected into public offices, they take an oath to
serve the people...we the people for the people by the people... But the promise
is soon broken. Why? Here was my protagonist who thinks promises are sacred.
This gentleman's word, whether given in his childhood to his mother or to Mother
India in his maturity, is never to be broken. The promise was the key to my
film."
Mahesh Babu was the first and only choice to play the enlightened
sophisticated Chief Minister.
Says Siva: "I wanted an actor who can play
a politician who is heard without shouting, whom everybody listens to when he
talks although he never raises his voice. Someone who could be assertive without
getting unnecessarily aggressive. No one fitted the bill except Mahesh Babu. He
is soft spoken and yet persuasive. He is exactly like the Chief Minister he
plays in my film. I can't imagine making this film without Mahesh Babu as
Bharath."
And now, so powerful is the impact of Mahesh Babu's
politician's act that director Siva is now seriously toying with the idea of a
sequel.
"I have never liked or entertained the idea of doing sequels or
remakes. There are so many fresh stories to be told. But the story of Chief
Minister Bharath is too relevant and too pervasive to be forsaken. The country
needs a political change. Bharath represents that change."
Immediate
plans for Bharat Ane Nenu are somewhat radical.
Reveals Siva: "Seeing the
impact of the film's political message, we are now planning to dub the film in
other Indian languages including Hindi. We should've done this from the start.
We should've known that the craving to see a new political awakening is
pan-India. We are taking the film to other parts of India apart from Andhra. We
feel the political message of the country is relevant to every Indian."