Manjunath leaves the luminaries spellbound

Manjunath, based on the real life story of a mine worker’s son Shanmughan Manjunath, premieres on &pictures. A story of courage, Manjunath, a former IIM Lucknow graduate and a marketing manager at a state-owned oil and gas enterprise, had set out on a journey to eradicate fuel adulteration and corruption and lost his life fighting for the cause. Bombay Times spoke to a few industry biggies, who shared their views on the film:
“I want everyone to see this movie, the story is such that it should get a wide coverage and viewership.”
— Kris Gopalakrishnan, Former Executive Vice Chairman, Infosys
“This movie should act as an inspiration to all upright people to stand up and fight against the rotten system.Manjunath’s sacrifice will not go waste if we can create 100 Manjunaths daily”
— Devi Singh, Director, IIM-L (following the incident of Manjunath’s death)
“It’s one movie that has stayed in my head for a long time. It’s not just a social issue, but a human story that has been captured here.”
— Anil Nair, CEO/Managing Partner, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi
“Manjunath is factual and authentic, yet it is great that people find it extremely gripping and moving. I feel that’s the real victory for this film.”
— Sandeep A Verma, Writer/director, Manjunath
“I was astonished to see the performance of the actor who played Manjunath. I felt my son had come alive after watching his body language, expressions and the way he spoke.”
— M Shanmugam, Manjunath’s father
“This movie is based on a real hero. Films like this should be encouraged, so the audiences know about such real-life heroes. Not many know of Manjunath. Our endeavour, through movies such as this, is to awaken the spirit in people to stand courageously against corruption and fight for their rights.”
— Yashpal Sharma, Actor, Manjunath

“We usually listen to incidents similar to those of Manjunath, who die trying to make a change in the society, and simply sympathise with them. My character in the movie is that of Anjali, who understands Manjunath’s sacrifice and decides to take his cause further. Why don’t we all become somebody who does that too, and join the Manjunath movement?”
— Divya Dutta, Actor, Manjunath

“The story of a person that compels you to think about what you would do if you were in his place.”
— Imran Khan, Actor

“The performances were very good In the movie. the intention really shines.”
— Imtiaz Ali, Writer/filmmaker

“This film has touched my heart. I hope we can all add some meaning to our lives by supporting films like this.”
— Vidya Balan, Actor
“What I like about Manjunath is the honesty and integrity with which it’s been made. It’s in your face and doesn’t hold back.”
— Rajdeep Sardesai, Senior journalist

Manjunath airs tonight at 8 on &pictures.
Watch: Manjunath Movie Official Trailer