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Mallesham Review: A Raw and a Down-to-Earth Biopic!

So far, 2019 has been the year of politically-driven biopics; from the insipid NTR biopic to the slightly decent Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy biopic, Yatra and the controversial Ram Gopal Varma directorial, Lakshmi’s NTR. Last year’s blockbuster hit Mahanati starring Keerthy Suresh made known, this underrated genre to the Telugu audience and presented the tragic story of India’s first Female Superstar which garnered a great deal of critical and commercial acclaim. Subsequently, Mallesham starring Priyadarshi in the titular character showcases the zealous, stubborn and inspiring journey of Chintakindi Mallesham, the inventor of ‘Asu (Weaving) Machine’ and the prestigious Padma Shri award recipient.

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Set in Nalgonda district, Telangana, the storyline traverses through Mallesham’s innocent childhood, the status of the village he’s living in, his parent’s struggle with money and work and his educational situation. Eventually, after watching his mother Laxmi (Jhansi) struggle with shoulder pain the entire time (because of manually weaving the material), he, in his teenage years decides to design and construct an Asu machine which will not only help his mother but his entire neighbourhood. The remaining part of this biographical drama displays the trials and tribulations that Mallesham goes through to make his dream a reality.

Unlike anything we’ve ever seen before, Mallesham is a one-of-a-kind biopic for multiple reasons. One of the primary reasons being, it doesn’t dramatize, sensationalize or heavily fictionalize certain events to acquire that dreary emotion from the audience member. It is not an extraordinary story of an extraordinary man, it just showboated a simple yet significant story, of a small-town guy who cares about his family’s well-being too much. It also introduced us to an ambitious chap with ceaseless determination, an undying soul who sacrificed seven years of his life in creating a working and a practical model of the Asu machine despite being made fun of by his friends, family and everyone else in his village.

However, with a hefty 132-minute runtime and a narrative with a plainly evident climax, it is indeed a tougher task for the director-screenwriter, Raj Rachakonda to sail across from the first act to the final act of the movie without a snag. Consequently, the pacing takes a toll multiple times in the film as the story felt like it’s running around in circles before getting from point C to D. Henceforth, this movie is undeniably slow and it doesn’t try to change its approach throughout the entirety of its runtime (which I commend). It is filled with long takes and single camera shots which pan in and out of the frame multiple times. It is a rare movie which gives utmost importance to the dialogue and the characters with very little background score which does not manipulate the viewer’s emotions. Therefore, the point I’m trying to make is, Mallesham is not made with the intent to entertain the general audience. It is an incomparable artistic movie which will only appeal to a certain set of audience who appreciate the slow narrative build and simple character interactions.

Above all, the performances represent the most significant part of the film, and the entire cast does not disappoint. Starting with Priyadarshi, who is able to transform himself and made the audience look at him more as a lead actor rather than a comedian. His simple and innocent demeanour, unadorned dialogue delivery and his normal-guy stature corresponded to his character appropriately, which made him likeable and more relatable. Popular television host, Jhansi, who plays Darshi’s mother in the movie once again proves that she’s one of the most underrated talents in the industry who also can excel in a more serious role. Ananya Nagalla also impresses as Darshi’s wife and his motivating partner who never fails to support and cheer him up even at challenging periods of life.

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Although Mallesham could’ve been trimmed more compactly in the cutting room floor, director, Raj R succeeds in telling an inspirational story of a passionate individual who achieved his goal against all the odds. Overall, Priyadarshi’s stellar performance combined with some raw and down-to-earth storytelling aspects makes this a biopic a must watch.