Karnam’s biopic will be beyond her medals and awards: Kona Venkat

Chennai

The film will be directed by Sanjana Reddy and will have dialogues by Kona Venkat. Talking to DT Next, Kona Venkat said, “The movie will not focus only on Karnam Malleswari winning the medal for India or being honoured with the Padma Shri. This is about her life journey and how she should have got better recognition. The film will give an insight into her life beyond what you could get from the internet.”

Venkat said that Sanjana pitched the idea to him a couple of years ago at music composer Gopi Sundar’s house-warming ceremony. “I was excited when she told me that she wanted to make a film on Karnam Malleswari. Coming from a remote village in Andhra, she took up a masculine sport. Would you believe that a girl from a remote southern village took up weightlifting as her career and inspired an entire nation?” he smiled.

According to him, getting the nod from Karnam Malleswari was quite challenging for the team. “There were a few other people who had earlier approached her to make a biopic and she was hesitant. I met her and told her what exactly we were trying to convey. I then had a lengthy talk with her and convinced her that the story should be taken to the masses. She was convinced and that was how the movie became a reality. Though emotion is the key to keep the audience intrigued, this film will be on the motivational side,” he revealed. Talking about the cast, Kona Venkat said that he has shortlisted a few names. “There are a few actors who could pull off the role really well. We will make an announcement once we finalise on who will play Karnam,” he added. Jointly produced by MVV Sathyanaraya and Kona Venkat, the film will start rolling from early 2021. “We will simultaneously shoot in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi,” he concluded.