Is Murphy inspired by The Love Letter? Director Pradeep Varma weighs in

The Prabhu Mundkur-led film’s trailer hints at a heart-wrenching love story, and elements of fantasy, including time travel, much like the Dan Curtis movie

Prabhu Mundkur and Ila Veerman in a still from Murphy

Urvi maker BS Pradeep Varma’s next, Murphy, is releasing in theatres on October 18. The film has Prabhu Mundkur in the lead, who has also collaborated with Pradeep on developing the story and screenplay. While the team has been guarded about the subject they’ve tackled, with Prabhu saying that it is an exploration of relationships, with the slightest hint of a fantasy element.

Prabhu Mundkur: ‘With Murphy, I can confidently say I have arrived’

In a conversation with Kannada Filmy Club, Pradeep faced a question based on the very little he has chosen to show audiences so far. Is his film based on a 1998 romantic fantasy drama called The Love Letter by Dan Curtis, which had very similar elements?

Is Murphy like The Love Letter?

The fact that time travel is normally associated with thriller subjects and not romantic dramas is perhaps why a similarity may have been felt, reckons Pradeep, adding that time travel is only a miniscule element of the narrative of Murphy. “Time travel is not the overall essence of Murphy and, hence, it is nowhere close to The Love Letter. We’ve used the concept of time travel and presented it in a unique fashion,” he explains.

Murphy trailer: Prabhu, Roshni and Ila present an intense tale of relationships

The filmmaker was also asked about the release strategy of Murphy, considering that it comes only a week after two biggies – Martin and Vettaiyan – and days ahead of films like Bagheera and a jam-packed Deepavali and year-end that includes Bhairathi Ranagal and UI, among others. Wouldn’t it have been better to bring the film to theatres in the early part of 2025?

Pradeep says that the team had certain ideas about the release, with Murphy initially meant to be in theatres on September 27, which was then pushed ahead. Right now, the filmmaker says, he is only looking for a small window in which Murphy can sustain and stand on its own strength. “Regardless of star films that are doing really well, we are confident of the quality of our film,” he maintains.

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