Telugu superhero films blend the mythic and the mundane

Prashant Verma Hanu-manMarked as the first Telugu-language superhero movie, it scores in terms of scale and ambition. Despite some visual and ideological highs (most of which are CGI-driven), the film struggles at times to keep pace with the racing internal beats. Disconnecting with grace is not overly brilliant.

Verma’s screenplay revolves around the thread, Hanu-man A mix of the mythical and the mundane, the bombastic and the blithe. The film constantly flits from the epic to the everyday as it presents the coming-of-age story of an ordinary village boy who one day attains Hanuman-like powers.

The first hour or so of the 158-minute movie is devoted to setting the stage for the grand transition—the man’s remarkable leap into the league of superheroes as the world knows them. After 40 minutes of meandering through his light-hearted chants and hilarious misadventures Hanu-man The point is reached from which the inevitable classic conflict between good and evil can begin.

Hyper-energetic Hanu-man Repackages superhero movie tropes within the clichéd parameters of an overly religion-centric drama designed for lots of action, high levels of emotion, lots of hilarity and some devotional fervour.

That the screenplay never pauses to give the overheated structure some breathing space and that lead actor Teja Sazza lets himself float by his larger-than-life lead role is both a strength and a flaw.

as Hanu-manWritten by the director himself, he steers clear of its predictable business endings, managing to ensure that its core strengths offset its weaknesses. It’s certainly not a thinking man’s myth, and as an indigenous superhero epic it’s not particularly original.

Hanu-man Draws heavily on ideas from episodes of the Ramayana and proceeds to touch superficially on contemporary themes of power, rural exploitation, democracy and corporate expansion at the expense of indigenous peoples.

The film reunited the director with his Zombie Reddy co-star and created a launchpad for the Prashant Varma cinematic universe. By the time it ends, it gives ample indication of what its future might hold. On the evidence currently available, this is not preferred Bahubali or RRR in the shade

for Hanu-man To make a lasting and worthwhile sequel, it needs to up its game appreciably. This would call for an infinitely larger budget and would, in turn, depend on how enthusiastically the first outing was received by the target audience.

Its Hindi Dubbed Hanu-man Which is a review of this piece, certainly requires greater consistency. It strays between excessive drool and frequent absurd slapstick as it follows a likable but disobedient village boy who, after wasting his formative years on petty theft and aimless drifting, develops an urge to mend his ways and serve his community.

It is only by chance that he gains invincibility thanks to a pearl he finds deep in a vast lake. But it takes some work to harness and sustain his superpowers and measure the responsibilities it brings. The man faces various obstacles. He tries his best to overcome the obstacles because he has a big incentive in the form of a girl he has a crush on.

But that is not where Hanu-man Begin It opens in late 1990s Saurashtra where a young schoolboy named Michael (who becomes a strapping man played by Vinay Roy) wants to be a superhero like Spiderman and Batman.

Michael’s parents stand in the way. So, he does what he thinks is best. Years later, he teams up with an asthmatic scientist Siri (Venella Kishore) to fulfill his dream of becoming powerful enough to overcome all opposition.

Cut to a remote village called Anjandri. It is surrounded by mountains, lakes and forests. A huge idol of Lord Hanuman guards the village. The villagers here are at the mercy of a villainous wrestler, Gajapati (Raj Deepak Shetty) and his brutal henchmen who force everyone to pay for their protection. Anyone who opposes their writ is mercilessly torn apart by Gajapati in the wrestling pit.

Anjanadri is in dire need of a savior who can rid it of its tormentors. Hanumanthu (Teja Sazza), who lives with his strict elder sister Anjamma (Varalakshmi Sarathkumar), doesn’t make one. When the school headmaster’s granddaughter Meenakshi (Amrita Iyer), a doctor, returns to the village from the city, Hanumanthu seeks to rekindle their childhood friendship and win her heart.

All his efforts to impress the girl Boomerang. He almost loses his life when bandits attack the village and he comes to Meenakshi’s defense. Hanumanthu was seriously injured and thrown into a lake. Life takes a new turn when she recovers.

All the mythological icons surrounding the power that Hanuman possessed and his unquestioning loyalty to Lord Rama and his subjects are reflected everywhere in this superhero actioner. With nothing to lose, Hanumanthu goes into messianic mode.

News of his exploits reached the city. Michael and his scientist-partner fly to Anjanadri in a helicopter and promise the villagers the moon in the name of corporate social responsibility.

Hanu-man Two original stories are rolled into one. Hanumanthu’s evolution from an innocent lover boy to the savior of his people is one of them. The other centers on Michael’s desperation to get his hands on whatever gives Hanumanthu his special powers.

Hanu-man Hollywood owes an obvious debt to superhero flicks. It mixes the excesses of the MCU and DC Comics with flights of fancy that facilitate the mythology of the Indian subcontinent.

The star aura that has built up around the likes of Rajinikanth, Mahesh Babu, Prabhas and Allu Arjun is hinted at in word and deed by Hanumanthu’s best friend, Kasi (Getup Srinu), the village milkman who doubles as the film’s all-time comedian.

by doing Hanu-man Is it possible to sustain the universe that Prashant Varma wants to create? The jury is out. For answers, we’ll have to wait until the proposed follow-up hits us next year.