Relive the true story of Hubballi’s missing boy

For every filmmaker worth his salt, it is imperative that he proves his mettle every now and then. And with nearly five years since his last release, a time during which one project got stalled, director Raghu Ram needed something to keep the momentum going. He got that with Missing Boy, a film produced by Kolla Entertainments, which recreates the real-life story of Jonathan Frosman, the Swedish national who came to India to track his biological parents.

Starring Gurunandan in the lead as the Indian origin man in search of his roots, the film hits theatres today. “Missing Boy is based on a true story, and has been inspired by a documentary of the same name. But what should interest audiences is whether we have followed the narrative of the documentary to the T, or whether we have added elements and taken creative liberties. Will Gurunandan’s character actually find his mother is something you will have to watch in theatres,” says Raghu.

But having said that, the director adds that he had restrictions in taking liberties as he was depicting real-life characters. “Take, for instance, Rangayana Raghu’s character, Lavakumar, who is based on the police officer who helped Jonathan Frosman in his quest.We had to be very careful in what we got Rangayana Raghu to do or say, as that could reflect on the real Lavakumar,” he says.

The intriguing story of the young boy who gets lost in Hubballi, lands in Bengaluru and is then adopted by a couple, living abroad, apart, audiences, says Raghu, will enjoy the locations and the music.

“We have captured beautiful locations in New Zealand, as well as many in North Karnataka. Once Gurunandan’s character sets out to find his roots, the story travels across destinations and that will be a treat for audiences. The two songs by V Harikrishna are added bonuses. Most importantly, though, people will enjoy the film because Gurunandan is seen in a totally new avatar,” Raghu signs off.