After finding fame and notoriety with Cyanide and Attahasa, (the former having elements of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination and latter drawing on elements from the life of forest brigand Veerappan), it seems that AMR Ramesh is now the object of avid scrutiny amid political circles not just in Karnataka but even in Delhi. Even his projects are being monitored.
So, when his PRO Maunam Ravi received a call from senior actress and Congress leader Khushboo, he was a little surprised and confused about her request. “She wanted to know about my next venture, Game. My PRO called me for my consent and I refused immediately. In fact, Khushboo called a second time to know if I was making a film about Sunanda Pushkar's death,” says Ramesh.
While Ramesh insists that he understands that the senior actress must be pressurised from senior leaders, he is well within his rights not to reveal the script. “Even my crew members don't know the story. So there is no chance of me sharing details with her,” he says. According to Ramesh, there is also some speculation around the name of the film Game. Debate is on if it could revolve around the IPL. “If Khushboo is so interested, let her call me and I will interact with her directly,” he asserts.
Game is a bilngual (Tamil and Kannada) murder mystery and features Arjun sarja, Manisha Koirala and Shaam in the leading roles. The film created a buzz, when Manisha was in Bengaluru and was shooting for a marriage sequence, which was compared to the real-life marriage between Sunanda Pushkar and Shashi Tharoor. “If I reveal one aspect of the plot, the entire story will be exposed. My past experiences of dealing with controversial subjects and the police have only made me stronger. I didn't reveal much about Cyanide, which was about Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, and it was appreciated when it got released. With Attahasa, due to some early revelations, Veerappan’s wife Muthulakshmi went straight to court and I had to run up and down before the release,” he explains.
Ramesh further adds, “I am a filmmaker who has the guts to make films with the facts in place. In the case of Game too, I will stick to the facts. I am making a film as per censor guidelines. Till date, I have not hurt anybody through my films. I will direct the film from an investigative journalist’s perspective and I am aware of the legalities involved,”he says.
Manisha leaves Game shoot to rush to Nepal
Manisha, who was shooting for Game, had to leave midway because of the earthquake in Nepal. “Our schedule with her was till May 4. But since the tragic earthquake took place, she had to leave everything and take the first flight to Nepal. I have told her not to worry and whatever portions with her are remaining will be covered in the next schedule, which will take place in Turkey. In fact, Akshaya Creations has donated towards the relief fund and Arjun Sarja and other team members also want to individually donate
for the cause. We are making sure it reaches Nepal,” says AMR Ramesh.