Over the years, Major Mahadevan has grown beyond a character, into a much-anticipated series. So, when the legendary character, brought alive by Mohanlal, makes a comeback, we expect nothing short of a hair-raising drama.
Major Ravi, the creator of the character, says his next 1971 Beyond Borders won’t disappoint those who await a visual feast. The movie hits the screens on April 7.
In conversation with Express, the director, who is busy with the post-production works, talks about the project and how at ease he is at making movies on a mammoth scale.
Matters of mind
1971 Beyond Borders may be a war drama, but the movie is about the emotional journey of three main characters played by Mohanlal, Bollywood actor Arunoday Singh and Telugu actor Allu Sirish. Though the war happens in the background, the movie zooms into their thoughts and decisions. And, this is a real-life inspired story. Though essentially it is a war movie, my aim is to put forth the question ‘why do we need a war’.
The movie has an answer for it. There is a whole lot of emotions at play behind a war. The piece of land, for which we sacrifice so many lives, is barren earth where nothing survives. But, the prestige of our nation is priceless.
Shooting in the desert
1971 Beyond Borders is a visual treat. A movie of this stature is unprecedented in Malayalam. A war has been shot with a proper army, involving hundreds of people. There is not much of VFX in the movie. We depended on VFX only to enhance what we have already shot. We have also managed to capture the desert in all its wilderness.
Mammoth canvas
Shooting a movie on a massive canvas is something I am at ease with. Every movie I do is a challenge and if I couldn’t manage it, I would have done a village movie or something of that kind. I love taking that risk. For instance, in 1971 Beyond Borders, the area we shot had a lot of snakes. I had to ensure everyone is safe and secure.
Pan-India appeal
Since the subject has a pan-India appeal, we have already given the rights to release in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu. The post production of these versions are also on the anvil.