Director AP Arjun on ‘Martin’, controversies and directing Dhruva Sarja

Dhruva Sarja in ‘Martin’.
| Photograph Credit score: Particular Association

The Dhruva Sarja-starrer Martin, one of the largest Kannada movies of 2024, has been surrounded by controversies weeks earlier than its launch. AP Arjun, the movie’s director, took the authorized route by blaming the movie’s producer for not giving him the due credit on the movie’s posters and different promotional supplies. Arjun claimed that the title ‘An A P Arjun Movie’ was faraway from Martin’s posters, resulting in controversy.

The rift between Arjun and producer Uday Ok Mehta was out within the open a few months in the past when the latter filed a criticism towards two VFX coordinators who didn’t ship the output on time regardless of a number of follow-ups. Through the interrogation, the 2 alleged that Arjun had obtained a Rs 50 lakh fee from the duo to get Martin’s VFX work. Arjun had denied any underhand dealing.

“It’s necessary to do a movie with the fitting folks,” says Arjun, reflecting on the incidents. Speaking concerning the theories behind the movie’s delay, Arjun provides, “Any movie group should observe a strict timeline.”

Martin, within the making for 3 years, has confronted a number of hurdles. Some studies mentioned that the movie’s forged members, together with Dhruva, delayed the movie’s shoot. “It’s not a wholesome signal when a movie will get stretched unnecessarily.”

Director AP Arjun throughout the shoot of ‘Martin’.
| Photograph Credit score:
Particular Association

Transferring on from the VFX fiasco, Arjun says he’s happy with the ultimate output. “Round one hour and 50 minutes of the movie entails VFX. If we had trusted only one VFX studio, the movie wouldn’t have been prepared by now. We divided the VFX work throughout 18 firms,” he says. 

Amidst the chaos, Arjun says he’s enthusiastic about Martin, his first big-budget movie since his debut, Ambari, in 2009. He’s banking on his screenplay to do the trick when the movie hits the screens worldwide on October 11, 2024. 

“The movie has a reverse screenplay. At the moment, persons are hooked on reels that preserve popping up on their telephones. They watch a lot content material in simply two to a few minutes. So it’s necessary to maintain the viewers each 10-Quarter-hour all through the movie’s runtime. That’s what I’ve tried to attain in Martin.”

Stressing that the movie is an out-and-out motion entertainer, Arjun particulars the challenges of pulling off formidable stunt sequences.

“Ram Lakshman masters choreographed among the motion sequences fantastically,” he explains. “I’m additionally grateful to Ravi Varma, the movie’s lead motion choreographer. We needed to shoot the climax motion set piece in Rajasthan. It concerned 10-15 vans, 20 jeeps, one tanker and 40 bikes. We couldn’t shoot on the initially deliberate location. Because of Ravi Varma grasp and cinematographer Satya Hegde, we accomplished the motion sequence utilizing mocobot and particular drones in Bengaluru in a 45-acre space.”

Dhruva Sarja in ‘Martin’.
| Photograph Credit score:
Particular Association

Whereas the makers haven’t revealed a lot concerning the movie’s story, Arjun calls Martin a patriotic film. The movie’s promotional content material signifies Dhruva Sarja enjoying the function of a soldier. Martin has been positioned as a high-octane actioner. “I really like the motion sequences within the Quick & Livid and Mad Max collection,” says Arjun. “I needed to do one thing comparable on this movie.”

Arjun launched Dhruva in 2012 with the romantic comedy Adhdhuri. Made on an estimated price range of Rs 4.5 crore, the movie is alleged to have collected Rs 25 crore on the field workplace. The movie ran for 100 days in 50 centres.

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In Adhdhuri, Dhruva’s dialogue supply earned him followers, however the ability quickly turned a double-edged sword for the actor. In his subsequent movies, together with his final launch, Pogaru,the actor bought slammed for his exaggerated dialogue supply, with folks even blaming administrators for stereotyping the actor into lead roles with prolonged punchlines.