In his upcoming film, ACT- 1978, director Mansore explores an Act that was implemented in the year 1978. However, this is a plot drawn from his own experience, the director tells Cinema Express ahead of the film’s release on November 20.

“My father, who was working in the state government, suddenly passed away, post which, I went through a tough time running in and out of government offices when I went to seek his pension dues. The way the officials handled this case was a traumatic experience,” says Mansore. “The government employee sitting on the third floor refused to handle the file because it was received by another colleague on the first floor. It was only after I raised my voice and shouted that I would bring the matter to media attention that they decided to process the papers. The 37 years of my father’s service was thrown away in a corner until I retrieved it.”

This experience is what inspired his new film, says the director of Harivu and Nathicharami, who initially began his film career as an art director. “This was the situation for a person like me, who has worked in a media company and later became a filmmaker. What would be a common man’s fate? This was a question that kept popping up in my mind. I decided to bring out the government officials’ negligence towards the common man’s issues on the big screen, and developed it in cinematic terms.” 

Mansore, who has written the story along with TK Dayanand and Veeru Mallanna, took reference from world cinema for the screenplay. “Since this was my first attempt at a thriller, I had to study a handful of films,” he says. 

The director has brought in 48 main actors for the hostage drama. While Yajna Shetty plays the protagonist, the film also stars Suresha B, Sanchari Vijay, Shruti Achyuth Kumar, and Pramod Shetty, and features 8-10 supporting characters comprising theatre and serial artistes.

“It is an honest attempt to make good content, and that’s why the audience should come and watch my film,” says the National Award-winning director. “This is my third outing. While I try and relate to the issues of a common man, my honesty as a filmmaker lies in presenting the film without any gimmicks. Secondly, I had the guts to release it during the pandemic. Though it is a tedious process, I am glad that I am getting support from all corners, including the technicians, producers, and directors from the Kannada industry,  as well as the audience,” he adds.

Distributed by KRG Studios, ACT-1978 has cinematography by Satya Hegde, music by Rahul Shivakumar, and background score by Bakkesh Ronada. “While we have just one theme song, a lot of importance has been given to the background score. We have also given preference to the sound, makeup, as well as the colour grading,” says Mansore.