A.R. Murugadoss waxes eloquent on his production, August 16, 1947

April 4, 2023

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A.R. Murugadoss has now produced August 16, 1947, a fictional tale on India’s freedom struggle. Photo: Expansion PR

It was a moment to remember as filmmaker A.R. Murugadoss unveiled a candid open letter during a promotional event for his production August 16, 1947.

Addressing his fellow countrymen, Murugadoss put forward an appeal to not take India’s independence for granted. He spoke about our bravely fought freedom struggle, and highlighted the pains and bruises left behind after the battle. He concluded his address with an inspiring message.

Much like the films he is known for, Murugadoss’ letter had a striking impact. His honest confession on why he chose to produce August 16, 1947 also fetched a lot of applause.

The director said, “Freedom is not given to you, it is something you obtain with struggle and self-belief. In my own personal life, neither do I come from a film background nor do I have any formal education, and yet, I overcame all those fears to make films.”

Elaborating on his new movie, he added, “In the beginning, we intended this film to be a Tamil release, but as we moved ahead, the unanimous reaction was that our story needs to be seen on a wider, pan-Indian scale. During an era when the country was stuck in a British cage, our film tells the story of a village that was trapped in a cage inside a cage and how it bravely fought back.”

The event also saw producer Jayantilal Gada (of Kahaani, Gangubai Kathiawadi and RRR fame) in attendance. He presents the Hindi version of the film.

Produced by A.R. Murugadoss along with Om Prakash Bhatt and Narsiram Choudhary, the film stars Gautham Karthik, Revathy, Pugazh and others, and is written and directed by N.S. Ponkumar. Sean Roldan scores music. It is releasing worldwide on April 7, 2023.

Leading man Gautham revealed that the story was completely fictional. The film is set in Sangadu village, which is described as “the capital of slavery” and tells the chilling story of how the British kept the village in the dark about Indian Independence, and how the villagers fought back and got their own freedom.