Manu Ravichandran to bring his romantic tale Mugilpete to theatres on November 19

Manu Ravichandran’s next release, Mugilpete, is a film that he wanted to bring to theatres on November 4 for Deepavali. But a delay with the film’s censor certification now means that it will release on November 19, along with two other Kannada movies, Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana. Manu, though, has always been unperturbed about the prospect of a clash at the box office. In an earlier conversation with us, he had said, ““There are a lot of films lined up for release, so it has become impossible to avoid a clash with another at the box office. When I began planning Mugilpete’s release, people told me about all the supposedly big films releasing from October 14 onward. I look at all films, big or small, with the same lens; if it’s nice, audiences will watch, else they won’t. I don’t understand this strategy of asking other films to back off for 2-3 weeks when an A-list actor’s movie is up for release. Yes, I may be the underdog if I bring my movie to theatres along with some others because I have not had a release in three years and audiences may have forgotten me. But I believe that I will make a strong comeback with Mugilpete. I think the movie has come out really well,” reasons the actor.

Mugilpete, adds Manu, is his response to naysayers who mocked his slim physique and Kannada diction in his first two films, Saheba and Brihaspati. “Audiences will see a different Manu in this film. Be it the performance, in emotional scenes, comedy or romance, or my Kannada diction, there is a marked improvement from what I have done earlier. Also, I have two distinct looks in the film – one in present day and another in a flashback. But Mugilpete is not only about me. There are some interesting characters, like, for instance, Sadhu (Kokila) sir, who has 16 different get-ups, which we are trying to get certified as a record; Avinash sir plays my father, while Rangayana Raghu has an important role. Kayadu Lohar, who is making her Kannada film debut opposite me has also done a fantastic job. Her character is very important to the narrative. Rishi has done a cameo in the film,” he says.