Giving Shanmughan Manjunath his due

The movie was shot in the exact same areas where Manjunath lived and died

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IIM graduate and an employee of Indian Oil Corporation, Shanmughan Manjunath, paid with his life for exposing the corrupt practices of the fuel mafia in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh.

Nine years later on November 19, his death anniversary, his biopic will premiere on television.

Manjunath was released in theatres in May this year and opened to great critical acclaim but disappeared from theatres rather quickly. Film director Sandeep A. Varma blames the trade dynamics of the film industry for this. “The film released in only select multiplexes and was screened during shows that did not attract much crowd. In the time when biopics are doing so well just because the movie did not have a huge star playing the lead role, it was not given its due and was under-promoted.”

The movie was shot in the exact same areas where Manjunath lived and died. For the fear of being attacked by the fuel mafia, the permission for shooting the film was taken under a different name so that it did not attract attention. Security guards in plain clothes protected the unit during the shoot.

Explaining the tagline of the movie “ Idiot tha sala ”, Sandeep says he used the tagline after an interaction with Manjunath’s mother. “When I went to meet her I was shocked to learn how society instead of celebrating Manjunath as a hero kept asking why he needed to be a whistle blower and put his life in danger. Was he an idiot to expose such a scheme?” asks Sandeep.

Debutant actor Sasho Satiiysh Saarathy who plays Manjunath in the movie says playing the role has made him a more concerned citizen as he has absorbed certain values that Manjunath stood for. Apart from telling the story of a middle class youth who chose his duty to work rather that the call of duty to his family, the movie aims to sensitise the audience about the issue of corruption. It is a tribute to the hundreds of youth in the country who have been murdered for doing the right thing.

Rajesh Khattar, who plays Manjunath’s boss in the movie, says if there are 10 more films made about these unsung heroes, a change can be brought about in the country. About established actors not taking roles that don’t pay as much, Khattar says doing a movie like Manjunath comes from a feeling from inside to do roles that can create an impact on society.

Sandeep says after the release his inbox has been flooded with emails from people sharing the story of how they or someone from the family was brave and stood up to corruption.

The movie will be telecast on November 19 at 8 pm, on & pictures.