Bangalore: A Kannada movie based on the controversial issue of illegal iron ore mining in Bellary and based on the meteoric rise of the Reddy brothers is running to packed houses across the state, reports Mail Today.
The movie was produced in a hush- hush manner. Considering that the characters seem to be inspired by the powerful brothers — Karunakar Reddy and Janardhan Reddy, who are ministers in the state BJP government — it's little wonder that the plot of the movie wasn't revealed till it released last week.
The highest- paid star in Kannada films, Puneet Rajkumar, son of thespian Dr Rajkumar, plays the male protagonist in the movie, Prithvi . Interestingly, it has also impressed the state's politicians.
Leading Opposition leaders such as former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda and Karnataka Congress's working president D. K. Shivakumar have already requested the producer for a special screening.
Directed by noted filmmaker Jacob Verghese, this is the first Kannada mainstream movie to highlight a contemporary issue.
In the movie, an honest IAS officer tries to take on the mining lords and encounters various hurdles. The government does not support him and some of his juniors are transferred or reprimanded for being honest.
The plot is almost a straight lift from what has been happening in Karnataka politics for the past two years. The movie was shot in Visakhapatnam to avoid media glare. But most of the mining visuals were shot in Karnataka.
There are also references to the RSS and the BJP in the film. One of the characters, playing a minister, says he had to listen to “ outsiders who entered the party using money power”. There is also a reference to former BJP minister Krishnaiah Chetty, who became famous for supplying ‘ Gangajal' in Karnataka.
There are also scenes where the mining lords threaten to bring down the government if their demands are not met. But Puneet, who plays the role of the IAS officer, insisted the film was not targeting any political personality.
“ I should say this was an experimental venture. Nobody has dared to make films on controversial current issues affecting the state. I never targeted any individual or family. I simply wanted to highlight an issue that has become the talk of the town. I feel happy to have got such a role,” he said.
Ram Babu, the film's producer, said the movie had received positive response. “ This is not a typical commercial film though it has some masala . It has a straightforward story and I am happy that it has been received well,” Puneet said.
