Featuring Sampoornesh Babu in the lead role, Martin Luther King, a satirical social drama directed by Pooja Kolluru released in theaters today. Let us see if the film has what it takes to keep the audience engaged.

Story: Smile(Sampoornesh) is a cobbler in his rural town and he depends on the villagers for a living by doing part-time work that they order him to do. He has an assistant named Bata who is his only well-wisher. How does Smile become Martin Luther King? The answer to this question forms the rest of the story. 

How did the actors perform?

Sampoornesh is a fine performer and he is in his element in the film. He does a fine job at it. His portrayal of a cobbler is natural and strikes the right chord. Naresh plays the other important role and he is impeccable, as usual. Director Venkatesh Maha plays a role and he does a fine job as well. 

What about the technical finesse?

The film is directed by Pooja Kolluru and she handles the remake subject in a mixed manner. The whole vibe and essence of the original - Mandela are retained and there are only a few cosmetic changes in the remake. Those who watched the original will not find the remake engaging enough.

Music and cinematography are of decent quality for the rural drama. Production values are impressive. 

Analysis:

Martin Luther King is essentially a slice-of-life drama that revolves around Smiles, a small-time cobbler who quickly becomes the most wanted and important person in the village once the election season starts.

The film takes a handful of digs at the current political system from the grassroots level and this was a fresh idea in Tamil when it was first made. The remake presents this in an expected manner but the lack of freshness becomes the villain. The director should have added her own element to the core plot. 

The plot dealing with the villagers putting in their efforts to win the trust and love of Martin is engaging enough. 

However, the issue here is that the spark and magic of the original are missing to a great extent in the remake. A few scenes regarding the election campaign are repetitive and underwhelm to a big extent. 

The climax is an expected one and it ends the film on a low. More twisted and unconventional screenplay could have worked the trick for this social drama. 

Verdict: Martin Luther King is an underwhelming film that had potential to tap into the target multiplex audience but the execution is not quite up to the mark. It might make for an okayish casual outing on OTT.

Rating: 1.5/5