‘Dharmaprabhu’ presents a cracking political satire

Political satires are not new in cinema.

But debutant director Muthukumaran’s ‘Dharmaprabhu’ film is a little different. It’s set in the unlikeliest of places — Yamalogam (the netherworld), the land of Lord Yama (the deity of death in Hindu mythology).

Leading the story is comedian Yogi Babu as Yama and Ramesh Thilak as Chitragupta (son of Lord Brahma, who keeps track of man’s good and bad deeds). Veteran actor Radha Ravi and actress Rekha play Yama’s parents. When Yama’s father falls ill, he relinquishes the throne in favour of Yama, thus disappointing Chitraguptan, who is next in line as successor.

“Yogi Babu and I have been close friends and roommates for a long time,” Muthukumaran said.

“Years ago, we discussed this script and I considered Goundamani then for the role of Yama. Yogi Babu was then working in Vijay TV’s ‘Lollu Sabha’ and I used to wait for him to come home with the day’s remuneration of Rs300 [Dh15.8] to cook dinner,” added Muthukumaran, who is also ready with his next film — ‘Kanni Rasi,’ featuring Vimal and Varalakshmi Sarath Kumar.

‘Dharmaprabhu’ is a fantasy story pivoted around Lord Yama and is narrated with humour. Elaborate and expensive sets created by art director Balachandar were set up at AVM Studios, Chennai, to represent Yamalogam. The section where Yama visits Earth was shot at Pollachi.

‘Dharmaprabhu’, produced by P Ranganathan of Sri Vaari Films, releases in the UAE on June 28.