Laxman's cartoons inspired 'Mandela' story, says National Award winner Madonne Ashwin

Director Madonne Ashwin, whose critically acclaimed Tamil film 'Mandela' won two National Awards at the 68th National Film Awards that were announced on Friday, says the inspiration for writing a story like 'Mandela' came from the cartoons of popular cartoonist R. K. Laxman.

Talking to IANS, the winner of Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director and the National Award for Best Screenplay (Dialogue Writer) said: "We were very clear as a team as to what kind of film 'Mandela' was going to be. We wanted it to be a political satire but at the same time, we did not want it to pinpoint to any particular party or hurt anyone. We had this conviction that we would make a proper film that did not hurt anybody.

"R.K. Laxman sir's cartoons were an inspiration in this regard. His cartoons would reflect the political situation without hurting anybody. It would speak of the situation from a common man's perspective."