Happy that they are comparing with ‘Srimantudu’: ‘MLA’ director

Debutant Upendra Madhav is happy that ‘MLA’ has been getting the right feedback.  In his interview with IndiaGlitz, he shares insights into some elements in the movie.

“More than the first half, people are loving the second half more.  The main message that education alone can help a child thrive has been received so well.  It’s this element that is fetching us so much respect,” Upendra says.

Many have felt that the second half is somewhat similar to ‘Srimantudu’.  ”I am very happy about that.  I have heard so many say that the first half’s comedy is like Sreenu Vaitla garu’s and the second half’s emotion is on the lines of a Koratala Siva garu’s movie.  In fact, I was inspired by what Koratala garu once said.  He opined that people will definitely watch a movie if you make it with honesty.  Even in a full-on commercial entertainer like ‘Mirchi’, the message of non-violence touched the audience,” he tells us.

While the Kalyan Ram-Ajay-Brahmanandam segment reminds one of the Sreenu Vaitla-kinda entertainment, Upendra says that full care was taken to make it believable.  ”We haven’t bluffed the audience.  The courtroom scene is logical.  We have seen real-life cases where doctored CCTV footage and fake documents have driven whole cases,” he ponders.

Why is it that so many films are still banking on the idea of revenge delivered through comedy?  ”Of late, movies where the villain is made a ‘Bakara’ haven’t been made.  The trend is receding slowly.  People too are not accepting it anymore.  Vaitla garu too has stopped doing it,” he observes.

Upendra says that the song ‘Yuddam Yuddam’ was conceived to convey a lot of emotions.  ”It comes in the climax.  The montage song needs a proper tempo.  It has to be inspiring at the same time.  I conceived it to sound like the song ‘Jaago’ (‘Srimantudu’) and a ‘Janatha Garage’ song.  Mani Sharma garu gave an excellent tune and I latched on to it immediately,” he reveals.