Sampoornesh Babu had previously appeared in spoof films. “Martin Luther King” marks the debut for him playing serious roles. The political satire film, directed by Puja Kolluru, is a Telugu adaptation of the Tamil film Mandela (2021), which received critical acclaim and a couple of national film awards.
To set the story against the backdrop of an Andhra Pradesh village, some changes were made to the Tamil original. Yet, the protagonist’s names were inspired by world’s great leaders in both films. Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s apartheid activist and first president, inspired the name in Tamil. Martin Luther King Jr., an American political philosopher who spearheaded the civil rights movement in the United States, inspired the Telugu version.
Pooja Kolluru and Venkatesh Maha (credited as a writer) changed the protagonist’s profession here and made numerous references to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana politics.
The film is set in the Andhra Pradesh village of Padamarapadu. Smile (Sampoornesh Babu) is an orphan who is considered unimportant by the villagers. His ambition is to open his own footwear store. When he goes to the Post Office to open a savings account, the employee Vasantha (Saranya Pradeep) discovers that he lacks a name, voter id, Aadhar, or anything else to prove he’s a citizen. So she gives him the name Martin Luther King and assists him in obtaining all government identification under this name.
At the same time, elections for his village Panchayat are being held. The villagers divided by their communities rally behind two competing leaders, Loki (Venkatesh Maha) and Jaggu (Naresh VK). Things have progressed to the point where Martin Luther King’s vote will be crucial in determining the next Sarpanch. Will Martin Luther King will become the village’s the most important person?
“Martin Luther King” emphasizes the importance of voting while also highlighting societal inequalities including caste divisions. It also conveys the message of breaking down barriers between people.
Despite having a strong foundation in the form of the original Tamil film, new director Pooja Kolluru has made her own mark in handling this political subject by staying true to the spirit of the story. The first few episodes are hilarious. The sequences demonstrating how political leaders exploit public sentiment are handled well. The other episodes are also effective in exposing the current political system’s methods.
But, as the film progresses to the climax, the impact fades. A few episodes in the final act drag on for no apparent reason and get repetitive. This is in stark contrast to the initial promise.
Sampoornesh Babu demonstrates his acting potential, and he plays the role with all sincerity. In the original, Yogi Babu played this role quite naturally. Sampoo tries hard to be natural and succeeds. Other actors give strong performances in the film as well. Venkatesh Maha and Naresh are fantastic as political leaders. Sharanya Pradeep is quite natural.
The dialogues by Venkatesh Maha are quite good. Other technicians do fair job.
Bottom line: Based on a Tamil film, “Matin Luther King” emphasizes the importance of voting. The film’s main strengths are the story, the strong performances, and the relevant message. Despite a saggy final act, “Martin Luther King” is an honest adaptation of the original and a sharp political satire.
Rating: 2.75/5
By: TCT
Movie: Martin Luther King
Cast: Sampoornesh Babu, VK Naresh, Sharanya Pradeep, Venkatesh Maha, and others
Story: Madonne AshwinScreenplay, dialogue: Venkatesh Maha
Music: Smaran Sai
DOP: Deepak Yaragera
Editor: Puja Kolluru
Production Designer: Rohan Singh
Creative Producer: Venkatesh Maha
Producers: S. Sashikanth & Chakravarthy Ramachandra
Release Date: Oct 27, 2023
