Previously unreleased audio and video recordings of musician Vasily Vakulenko, known as Basta, will feature in the new film Basta. Start of the Game. Director and screenwriter Stas Ivanov revealed the archival material during an interview with news agency TASS.
Ivanov said the discovered materials included concert footage and old videos that Vakulenko had forgotten about. Part of the archive was used for the musical score, while video footage influenced the drama of individual scenes. Ivanov noted that the production team recreated several historical moments exactly as they appeared in the original tapes.
Casting and production
The director stressed that the project is a feature film inspired by Vakulenko's life rather than a documentary or biographical movie. Filming took place in Rostov-on-Don, where Vakulenko grew up.
Vakulenko previously selected actor Vyacheslav Kopeykin for the lead role due to their physical resemblance. After comparing Kopeykin with photos of himself at ages 20 to 21, Vakulenko called them a 100 percent match and praised Kopeykin's energy and rap skills. Kopeykin added that Ivanov initially hesitated during final casting, but Vakulenko insisted on hiring him.
