New Delhi: Filmmaker SS Rajamouli’s assistant Ashwin Gangaraju will be directing a period drama titled ‘1770’. The film will be based on the popular book ‘Ananda Math’ written by Bengali writer Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.
The makers of the film released the motion poster of the film on Wednesday.
Produced under the banner of SS1 Entertainment and PK Entertainment, the film will be multi-lingual and is the second directorial venture of Ashwin after ‘Akaashavani’ last year. The film’s story and screenplay will be adapted and written by Rajamouli's father KV. Vijayendra Prasad.
"I feel that Vande Mataram was a magical word. It was a mantra that was given by Maharishi Bankim Chandra for a nation to unite against tyranny and injustice. In 1770, we dealt with the story of unknown warriors who ignited the fire of the freedom movement," said India's most celebrated storyteller V Vijayendra Prasad.
He is excited to recreate the magic of ‘Anandmath’ with the film ‘1770’ with a completely fresh magnum opus perspective that will connect with the youth of today.
While speaking about the project, director Ashwin Gangaraju said, "This subject was a huge challenge for me, but with legendary V Vijayendra Prasad sir writing the adapted story and screenplay, I think what we have on paper is a blockbuster cinematic experience.”
“As a filmmaker, I’m more drawn towards the stories which have periodic setups, bigger emotions, the scope for larger-than-life action, etc and this is something that sits in perfectly for me. Initially, I was a little skeptical but I spoke to Ram Kamal Mukherjee and after listening to his grander vision I gained confidence," he added.
The film will be made in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and Bengali. The team will lock the main lead before Dussehra, and by Diwali, they will announce the cast of the film. Ashwin along with his team has started researching the period and trying to create a visual that is unique.