'Murphy' is like the fragrance of old memories: B S Pradeep Varma

Six years after the release of the Sruthi Hariharan and Shraddha Srinath starrer ‘Urvi’, filmmaker B S Pradeep Varma is back with his next feature film. With Prabhu Mundkur in the lead role, ‘Murphy’, a musical drama set in Goa, will release in theatres on October 18. Dattanna, Roshini Prakash and Ila Veermalla also star in the film. Arjun Janya has composed three songs. One of the songs, ‘Mogachi’ has been trending online. 

Excerpts from an interview with the director:

Tell us about ‘Murphy’.

Even in a cosmopolitan world, the petrichor after rain brings back old memories. ‘Murphy’ is like the fragrance of old memories. One of the philosophies of the film comes from the story of ‘Kisa Gotami and the Mustard Seed’. When a woman asks Buddha to bring her dead son back to life, he says, to do so, she must bring a mustard seed from a house where there has been no death. When she goes looking for the mustard seed, she realises death is common to all. But what if she had found such a house? We’ve created a fantasy world based on this thought.

What are the central themes in the film?

The film is more about human values. Yesteryear films were so relatable, especially to the middle-class audience. With ‘Murphy’, we wanted to bring back that era. We wanted to tell a story about our roots. We’ve brought together raw emotions, a tinge of science fiction and a lot of philosophy. 

How was your experience working with Dattanna?

Dattanna is like a ball of volcanic lava. We were shooting in Goa with a bunch of young people. It was a relaxed environment. But the moment Dattanna stepped in, it was as if an army officer had arrived. He taught us how to be more disciplined on the set. I learned a lot from him. Prabhu too learned so much from him as an actor. His performance is top notch.

He had to speak in Konkani for a few scenes. Although he complained about the difficulty in articulation, when he delivered the lines, they were so authentic.

And the lead actors?

I believe among contemporary female actors, Roshini is one of the most talented. She has been brilliant in the film. Ila also took on the role of assistant director and costume designer. She is a multitasker. Although she has performed earlier as a child artiste, ‘Murphy’ is her first as a full-fledged female lead. She is a very strong lady and quite understanding. Her maturity is seen in the performances. 

About Prabhu, his character was in fact written for another actor. If we had gone ahead with the previous actor, I don’t believe we would have done justice to the character. He has trained his facial muscles in such a way that he knows which muscle to move when and to what extent. 

‘Urvi’ came in 2017. Why did your next take so long?

To this day, people recognise me because of ‘Urvi’. But as years passed by, I started seeing many flaws. I thought I needed to explore my abilities as a filmmaker. So I made a few short films. I also made a feature film called ‘The Fallen’ which went to film festivals across the world. Another film I made took a different turn. I stumbled upon wrong stones but at the same time I was able to pick them up and shoot at the right mango. I started understanding the nuances of filmmaking, experimenting, and failing. I enjoyed the process. ‘Murphy’ took four years for various reasons, one being the pandemic. I also lost my father during this period and at one point I had to also step in as a producer.

What is ‘The Fallen’ about?

‘The Fallen’ is based on the concept of ‘What if?’. The words ‘What if?’ give birth to so many things. We’re already on the verge of the sixth great extinction and while reading more about this, I came across a possibility where humans could become extinct. This was the idea behind the film. We created a dystopian world, where the focus is on the story of a father and a daughter.