Manjunathan Shanmugham, the fearless local boy from Kolar who graduated from IIM, Lucknow and met a brutal end at the hands of the oil mafia, is a figure of inspiration for those who have raised their voice against corruption in this country. He died in 2005 at the age of 27 and nine years later, a biopic on the life and times of this fearless officer, Manjunath will be released on May 9.
Working for the public sector company, Indian Oil Corporation in Lucknow, Manjunath had ordered two petrol pumps at Lakhimpur Kheri to be sealed for selling adulterated fuel for three months. When the pump started operating again a month later, Manjunath decided to conduct a surprise raid around November 19, 2005. But during this inspection, he was shot dead mercilessly while his bullet riddled body was found in the backseat of his own car, driven by two employees of the petrol pump. Both were arrested and the main accused, pump-owner Pawan Kumar Mittal, was held along with seven others. Presently, the case is pending in the Supreme Court, with life sentences being awarded to five of the accused in the High Court.
His death came close on the heels of the killing of Satyendra Dubey in Bihar, who too was murdered for the same reason. Following this, there was immense media spotlight on the case. Manjunath’s batchmates from IIM Lucknow have also made efforts to keep alive this daring officer’s extraordinary courage to take on the corrupt.
However, the film is not just about Manjunath but it also aims to take this message to millions of Indians, motivating people to come forward and join the fight against the same. Along with the film, they have also launched a campaign, Blow the whistle and Support Manjunath to attract the support of the youth.
Visualizing Manjunath on the big screen, the character and the ideals he stood for, the film producers, Viacom18 Motion Pictures have also launched a public platform www.whoismanjunath.com to garner support for other whistleblowers and encourage the youth to speak-up and stand for what is right. “The identities of those who make submissions will be kept a secret to protect whistle blowers,” the producers say.
Rudrarup Dutta, Marketing Head of Viacom18 Motion Pictures says, “Manjunath’s story is one to be told and retold and therefore, the film and our marketing initiatives reflect the image of the real Manjunath Shanmugham who fought for the ideals he believed in.”
The film storyline goes like this : One day Manjunath discovers that there exists on a very large scale, adulteration of fuel. Even after several threats to his life, Manjunath is undeterred and decides to uncover the truth and fight for justice. But his voice is silenced. He is shot dead on duty for doing what was right. Will Manjunath’s story inspire you to take a stand for what is right, is the basic focus of the film?
Sandeep Varma, the film director, elaborates, “Manjunath is a shining example of being daring and fearless and I hope some of his fearlessness can rub off on us. I feel that we have forgotten what our voice sounds like. Hopefully this campaign can help, in a small way, to get us familiar with our voice again. To express what we feel, without any fear,” he adds.
Parikrama, the indie band has composed authentic rock music for this film and its members say, “It was a great opportunity for us to be a part of such a great cause. Each and every person associated with this film is very passionate about Manjunath and his story, including us. We are looking forward to its release now.”