Maharshi – Movie Review

Directed by Vamshi Paidipally, Super Star Mahesh Babu’s twenty-fifth film Maharshi stars Allari Naresh and Pooja Hegde as supporting characters in a three-hour action-drama collaboratively put together by three powerhouse names in the Telugu Film Industry.

Within the confines of Mahesh Babu’s latest theatrical releases, Maharshi also articulates a significant social message in the most commercial way possible. The storyline kicks off in Manhattan, New York with Rishi Kumar (Mahesh Babu), CEO of a multi-million dollar company, recounting his success story and the way it all started from his childhood aggravations to his final days in college all throughout the first half. The other half of the film narrates how certain issues and situations changed his aspirations towards life which involves him returning back to India with a purpose.

As the two-minute-thirty-second trailer promised, this movie distributes everything a Mahesh Babu fan anticipates. Very similar to his earlier films, Srimanthudu and Bharath Ane Nenu, his silver jubilee film has all the loud, resounding and crowd cheering single liners. It counts in all the slow-mo, superhuman fight scenes which he loves to perform in formal wear. The in-between romantic angle with the female lead which leads to a couple of dance numbers. A villain who is just present to provoke his emotions and the usual comedy bits to entertain the crowd. But, most importantly, this film follows the consistent trend of conveying a social message which is both arguable and effective.

Despite having quite a few problems like the predictable first half, the poorly paced second half and the three-hour runtime which was a bit too much to cruise through. The movie works for the most part as the strong storyline, and the emotional drama appeals to the viewer and keeps the ball rolling on a delicate surface and passes through every blandly written narrative hurdle conveniently.

On the more technical side of things, justifying the three-producer model, the production design was appealing and suited well with director Vamshi’s grandiose vision and the film’s approach. K. U. Mohanan’s cinematography is also another plus point as his ability to make every frame stand out was easily noticeable. Devi Sri Prasad’s background score complements the narrative, but, when it comes to actual music, the songs were considerably forgettable at length.

Rounding off with the characters and the performances, granted that there are numerous actors dropping in and out throughout the entire runtime, the main lead characters were written well giving them the vital screentime that they deserve. Mahesh Babu gives his usual strong protagonist act that his fans expect and carries the entire movie effortlessly. Allari Naresh, who is an underappreciated talent with regard to his more deep and emotional roles shines the brightest much like his previous performances in Gamyam and Shambo Shiva Shambo.

Overall, Maharshi is a typical Mahesh Babu film with a social message narrated in a commercial way which will strictly appeal to his hardcore fan base and the general family audience. Regardless of the negatives, this is a partly entertaining movie to watch and I’m sure you will leave the theater with a head full of thoughts.