Writer turns film director with his novel

Yogesh Master penned 'Marali Manege' two decades ago; book was adapted to stage first

Two decades after penning the Kannada novel ‘Marali Manege’, writer and theatre person Yogesh Master has adapted the same to the silver screen.

The film is expected to hit screens in March, with the audio launch slated to be held on February 23.

Yogesh, who has the suffix ‘master’ for being a professional teacher, told reporters on Wednesday that it was also his debut with a full-length feature film as a director. Apart from wielding the megaphone, he has also written the screenplay and dialogues and composed music along with Gurumurthy Vaidya.

Yogesh said, he has now opted the medium of film going with the pulse of the society that believes more in viewing rather than browsing the books. Most importantly, the influence of theatre that gained ground – after growing up listening to Harikatha renditions in nascent days – was also the reason that has always kept me hooked to the medium of art, affirmed Yogesh.

Before trying his hand on the big screen, Yogesh had directed a play on the same theme, for the students of Mount Carmel College in Bengaluru.

Set in 1980s

Delineating on the film, Yogesh said the story as the title goes – ‘Marali Manege’ meaning ‘returning home’ – it revolves around two families that yearn for the return of their children, who for some reasons severe ties with their families. It is a real ‘Ghar Wapsi’, when filial bonds have been taking a backseat in the current genre.

“It includes eight songs with Marathi Abhangs (devotional poetry) written by Saints Savathi and Jnaneshwar, as one of the families played on screen is Marathi-speaking, with subtitles included for the benefit of movie buffs. The duration of film is two hours. Most importantly, as the storyline dates back to the 1980s, preference has been given to the conventional mode of filmmaking deliberately giving a go by to the incorporation of technology (that makes shooting much easier nowadays),” claimed Yogesh.

The film was shot in a single schedule of one month, mostly at Dandinashivara near Tiptur in Tumakuru district. Shooting was completed four months ago.

Star cast

The film has a huge star cast that includes noted actors Shruti, Suchendra Prasad, brother and sister duo Anirudh (son-in-law of actor Vishnuvardhan) and Arundati Jatkar, Shankar Aryan and Sahana to name a few.

S S Lingegowda and Subhash L Gowda are the producers.