Remembering Manjunath
New Delhi   21-Mar-2011

Six years ago, Manjunath Shanmugam, an IndianOil official, was killed by the oil adulteration mafia while trying to seal an illicit gas station in Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh. The incident sent shock waves through the public and the civic administration, and even today, Manjunath remains a symbol of integrity among people. Now, Mumbai-based filmmaker, Sandeep Varma, wants to recreate Manjunath's life in a two-hour-long feature film titled Manjunath . “Manjunath was a man of principles and beliefs. He never bowed down to intimidation and this will find a resonance among the youth,” remarks Varma, 40, an ad filmmaker-turned-director. The film goes on floors in August, with the target of a summer release in 2012.

Varma was first approached for the feature film in 2007 by a member of the Manjunath Shanmugam Trust but he was skeptical. “You admire such people for their work but don't immediately think of making a movie on them. In India, idealism can be interpreted as boring,” he adds. But after researching Manjunath's life for two years, meeting his friends and family, Varma was able to create a picture of a boy next door who loved music and spending time with friends.

Manjunath's mother and siblings provided Varma with personal inputs and he decided to write the script himself. He film includes episodes from Manjunath's years at IIM Lucknow, his work, the circumstances that lead to his death and the grueling court case that followed. “He was popular in college and had an active social life, he was also the lead singer of his college rock band, 3.2,” says Varma, adding with a smile, “Very few people are aware that Manjunath failed a year at IIM.” To highlight Manjunath's close relationship with his family, Varma has recreated actual telephonic interactions between his mother and him in the film.

“The youth will admire him for how he performed under the given circumstances,” says Varma, who has kept the budget under Rs 3.2 crore. The National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) has co-produced the film. “We are genre agnostic. This film was chosen for its emphasis on making a film with compelling entertainment and highlighting the vibrancy of our culture,” says Vikramjit Roy, GM, NFDC, who was tightlipped about the funding amount. Typically, NFDC contributes over Rs 2 crore for established filmmakers. As this is Varma's second feature film, the funding exceeds Rs 2 crore.

Varma is in final stages of casting, having signed Seema Biswas and Yashpal Sharma to play the principal characters. “I do not want to reveal who is portraying Manjunath's character yet,” says Varma. The soundtrack will be given by Indian Ocean with a cameo performance by them.