Madhu Babu Thokala is all set to bring to us his first-ever feature film Anantha on Dec 9. In an exclusive interview with The Pioneer, the director shares some exclusive insights about the upcoming film.
Amartya Smaran
Scientific thriller Anantha which is all set for its theatrical release on December 9, marks Madhu Babu Thokala’s first-ever feature film. The film is a remake of The Man from Earth which was released in 2007.
In his first, Madhu Babu discusses what inspired him to be a filmmaker, legendary director Mani Ratnam, and what Anantha as an ultra-low budget film is set to offer to the Telugu audience.
Although the filmmaker Madhu Babu was super passionate about films from childhood, due to various circumstances, he took the usual route of pursuing a degree in Canada. However, his incredible passion for films couldn’t keep him away from the movie world for too long.
Here’s debutant Madhu Babu sharing how his passion for movies began from a young age, “Right from childhood, it has always been a dream to work in the film industry. To begin to trace what actually made me choose films over anything is kind of tough. But I found myself doing something or the other related to films while growing up. Other kids would prefer playing cricket, whereas I would be hell-bent on watching a film. I studied in Canada and once I returned home, I was actually heading a huge team at Tata Docomo Services in South India. During that time, coincidentally, my roommate got an opportunity to become a director and it was in 2016 that I got the chance to be a part of a project. Even as a young student in Canada, I used to look out for film-related work, but the directors whom I approached were not so active in the Indo-Canadian filmmaking scene.”
Director Mani Ratnam has been an inspiration for generations of filmmakers in India. Gautam Vasudev Menon publicly admitted on multiple occasions that Mani Ratnam’s Nayakan was what pushed him to pursue filmmaking. Looks like the long list of young filmmakers taking the Ponniyin Selvan director as their inspiration isn’t slowing down at all. “The body of work that Mani Ratnam created over the years inspires me a lot as a filmmaker. He is a master at expressing emotions through nature and I am a nature lover. Thalapathy, Iruvar and Bombay are some of my favourite films,” said Madhu.
Sharing some exclusive details about Anantha, Madhu enthused, “Anantha is a scientific thriller which is set up in a confined location where the entire story unfolds progressively. We haven’t dealt with aliens or time travel-based stories in a long time. I can assertively say that the audience down south is up for an interesting experience. Perhaps they might’ve not seen a film like this before on the silver screen. I have always been intrigued by the stories set up in prehistoric times. I believe that the advancements in the past were superior to what we are seeing today. During prehistoric times, in terms of technological advancements, the human race experienced things which are beyond our grasp now. Anantha reveals something of this nature.”
A director who holds his/her cast and crew in high regard has a long way to go in the industry. Madhu Babu absolutely missed no chance in expressing his gratitude towards the people whom he worked with on the project, “RGV’s Konda fame Prashanth Karthi is playing the lead character and Malayalam actress Laya Simpson who portrayed important characters in films like Drishyam and Bro Daddy is also a part of our film. Extraordinary artists like Geddam Srinivas who last appeared in DJ Tillu, filmmaker-actor Anish Kuruvilla, Ramesh who is doing well for himself in the OTT space and Anil who has been a part of every Bandi Saroj film, are all playing prominent characters in the film. There are about eight characters that drive the narrative forward and each of them has its importance. I must say it’s been a blessing to work with all these experienced actors.”
It is always challenging to adapt a story that has been made for a different world. However, Madhu says, his exposure to both the western and eastern worlds has enabled him to seamlessly make the necessary changes to the script. “It’s interesting how we adapted the story. It is a remake of this Hollywood film called The Man from Earth directed by Richard Schenkman and written by Jerome Bixby who is best known for the Star Trek series and The Twilight Zone franchise. Richard Schenkman adapted this one interesting episode from the Star Trek series which eventually materialised into The Man from Earth.
In order to actualise the project, we took the license from Falling Sky Entertainments. I have Indianised the westernised concept and I am honestly satisfied with the output. With the content that people have been exposed to with the advent of OTT, I think they will really take a liking to the film. Anantha is a film that is a good blend of knowledge and entertainment. I am sure the film would haunt their minds for a day or two,” concluded the Anantha director.
A special appeal from the creator is that people should encourage ultra-low-budget movies and support the new age content. The director is looking forward to the release of the film, hoping that the Telugu audience will enjoy the new-age experience.
