Bagheera director Dr Suri weighs in on the possibility of turning film into a franchise

The big release from Kannada this Deepavali is Roaring Star Sriimurali’s Bagheera, an action-packed superhero flick, directed by Dr Suri. The film, which will be in theatres on October 31, has Sriimurali as a police officer, who turns vigilante/superhero by night and rids society of the evil lurking around. The film is an origin story of sorts for Bagheera, who, according to Dr Suri, is like Batman, in the sense that he does not possess superpowers, but makes do with his physical strength and gadgets.

Sriimurali in and as Bagheera

“The thing about Batman is that anyone can become the Dark Knight, provided he has enough money to bankroll all his gadgets. I would be very happy if people compare Bagheera to Batman or even Daredevil. My protagonist does not have any superpower,” says the filmmaker.

Will Sriimurali’s Bagheera become a franchise?

So, is he looking at turning Bagheera into Kannada cinema’s own superhero franchise? “Any superhero movie is never-ending; you can write anything and keep it going. Once a character becomes a household name, you can keep him going forever. Spider-Man will exist as long as mankind does, and he will always be the friendly-neighbourhood teenage superhero. If Bagheera clicks with audiences and it becomes a big success, I might do another movie or two with the character, after which, my era will be over. Then someone else will take it forward. Makers will change, the hero and the villains will change, but the character of Bagheera will remain,” reckons Dr Suri.

Sriimurali in ‘Bagheera’

At the moment, though, Dr Suri says that he has not given the idea much thought. “I want to take it one step at a time. Let Bagheera release on October 31. Depending on how audiences react to the character and our story-telling, we will decide the future. Long ago, I had seen a Kamal Haasan sir interview that he treats every film like his last and, hence, gives it his all. That stuck with me; I’d say I have put everything I could offer as a filmmaker into Bagheera. So, if it works, then I will think about my next step,” he says.

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