Balaji Manohar, the actor of Nathicharami, Bhak (2019), Arishadvarga (2019) and Avane Srimannarayana (2019), will next be seen in National Award-winning director, Mansore’s 19.20.21. The film presented under Aagaaz Entertainment and bankrolled by D Creations is slated to release on Friday.
Balaji talking about his role in the political thriller reveals that he plays a lawyer who teams up with an activist and a journalist to deliver justice to a wrongly accused tribal boy. The actor, who likes to get prepared, shared a few details about getting into a lawyer’s role.
“Reading the script gave me an understanding of the large canvas of the film. The script was intense and filled with information. Having worked with Mansore in the past (Nathicharami) by his choice of characters and stories, I knew he was looking at delivering truth in such a way that it pushes us to question, debate, take a stand, raise a voice against injustices, “ says Balaji, adding, “Coming to 19.20.21, my character -the lawyer, is truthful, high on integrity and fights for justice, especially for the poor who can neither afford the mental or physical strength to fight for justice in the court or endurance to bear the prolonged processes at the court until justice is delivered. “
Telling about the core message behind this film, Balaji says that Manju’s (played by the lead actor, Shrunga ) story is both heart-wrenching and inspiring. Manju shows us the power of resilience and the freedom one achieves just by standing by the truth. 19.20.21 as a film is a tribute and a celebration of our constitutional rights.” he asserts.
About working with the director for the second time, he says, “Mansore’s scripts are not easy. They deal with unpopular themes that are normally avoided in public. They are thought-provoking and make you uncomfortable. It is unsettling like art should be. Being witness to these conversations through his characters changes you as a person. Each and every one who collaborates with Mansore knows this. It is difficult to work on a project if your passions for storytelling, thought process and worldview aren’t aligned to the core idea of the script.”
Balaji further explains Mansore’s work and says that it was inspiring to watch him and his team. “The cinematographer Shivu, the direction team, art team led by Santosh Panchal, the sync sound team led by Mahaveer and the actors Shrunga, Mahadev Hadapad, Pallavi MD, Rajesh Nataranga and Krishna Hebbale Venkatesh Prasad embraced this new and unfamiliar style of filmmaking with zeal and enthusiasm and fought through the uncertainties and limitations of an independent film.”