The publicity blitz surrounding
the latest Telugu movie Maharshi, the silver jubilee picture of Andhra cine star
Mahesh Babu, attracted my attention. Having seen some of his earlier flicks, I
became curious. Even in Chennai, many cine
screens ran the film from May 09, some with shows as early as 8:30 a.m. I read newspaper reviews and watched “You
Tube” clips. Finally, I booked tickets for
an afternoon show at a mall for my wife and me.
In the video clips, the
spectators coming out of a movie house on the first day first show were largely
ecstatic. Some of their comments: “Super
film,” “fantastic show by Mahesh Babu” and “it will collect Rs. 500
crores.” There were, however, some views
like “average” and “okay.”
Hero Mahesh Babu is supported by Pooja Hegde, Allari Naresh and a host of others.
AMBITION, RICHES AND MUD
(By Subbaram Danda)
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| Mahesh Babu in a dance sequence with Pooja Hegde |
In the story Rishi
Kumar (Mahesh Babu) plays three transcendental roles – an ambitious
student from an ordinary family, a high-flying business tycoon and finally a
social reformer wiping the tears of the toiling farmers. It is a theme-based tale, the current trend with leading stars.
A brilliant but somewhat arrogant student,
Mahesh Babu pursues his master’s degree in engineering to make it big in life,
unlike his father (Prakash Raj), whom he considers a failure. He enjoys his college life playing pranks on his classmates, particularly Ravi (Allari Naresh) and Pooja (Pooja Hegde), but at the same time he stands first in the class. His tricks look quirky but enjoyable. Also, a streak of helpfulness can be seen
running in his blood. He develops an
operating system integrating artificial intelligence with human wisdom.
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| Pooja Hegde searching for ladies hostel in the college campus |
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| Allari Naresh, Pooja Hegde and Mahesh Babu enjoying college life |
In due course, he becomes
the CEO of a multinational corporation with its head office in
the US. He rakes in the highest income for any chief executive officer in the world.
As days roll by, circumstances make him see the real purpose of life. He comes to know of a sacrifice made by his classmate Allari Naresh, which leads him to become a champion of the cause of the
farmers. He willingly uses his riches to
save them from the clutches of a land-grabbing corporate entity. He succeeds where even the seasoned
politicians find themselves helpless.
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| Mahesh Babu as the highest earning CEO of a multinational company in the US |
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| As a friend of the farmers Mahesh Babu steps into the mud and tills the land |
From the beginning Mahesh Babu and his
classmate Pooja Hegde are seen romantically involved but they keep on playing hide and seek
right through the film unable to understand each other. She sparkles in duets with the hero.
In the three-hour film there
are some comic interludes, a lot of fighting scenes and several flashy
visuals. Till the interval it is absorbing
and fast-paced. But, in the second
session it drags, reflecting slackness in editing.
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| Mahesh Babu crushing an opponent in a fighting scene |
In credit lines Mahesh
Babu is portrayed as Super Star. Like
Tamil Super Star Rajinikanth, he also delivers a few punch dialogues. “Success is not a destination, it is a
journey” and “success has no full stops, only commas” evoke claps from his
hard-core fans. Equally outlandish are
some of his statements. Once, on what he
likes to achieve, he declares, “I want to rule the world.”
There are quite a few songs
in the movie. Topping them is “Idhe
kada, idhe kada, nee katha…” with rhythmic lyrics and a lilting melody.
Its tune lingers long in the minds of the viewers.
On the whole, director Vamsi
Paidipally manages to churn out a film that meets the demanding expectations of Mahesh
Babu fans. They get a lot of
opportunities to clap and whistle. He
succeeds in bringing home the fact that farmer is the real supreme sage in this
world -- Maharshi.
May 18, 2019
