Mahanati

#MAHANATI has all the fine elements of a great cinema in making like it is biopic, also a parallel plot running in 1980 (Vijay Antony and madhura vani portrayed by vijay and samantha) to tell the story of savitri amma since childhood to her death bed.

Film director Nag Ashwin had taken time to research every detailed aspect of the film be it talking to savitri's family members to know about her in detailed and to study the sets for recreating 1950s era.( lot of story-boarding work was done ).

Initially it takes us some time to adjust to era's of 1950s and 1980s then as we slowly encounter and adjust to characters especially little cute child savitra amma with song aagipo balyamma there is no looking back. Costumes are designed picture perfect just to mesmerize as if we are looking exactly 1950s era.

Thanks to cinematographer Dani Sanchez Lopez for making us visualize resplendent montage of golden era. There is huge star cast enacted with main leads Keerthy Suresh brilliant portrayal as cute innocent #Mahanati and Dulquer salmaan as loverboy with grey shades (Gemini ganeshan) well supported by others like Rajendra prasad(chowdary garu), Mohanbabu (as Late SV Rangarao garu), Prakash raj, Krishh (legendary KV Reddy garu), Naga chaitanya (Late ANR garu ),Naresh(in a key role).

One important aspect of the film is it has recreated the grandeur of small bits and pieces of famous films like mayabazaar and Devadasu (1953) to name a few which are exquisitely shot in vintage black and white. A film which tells the tale of savitri as great human being(philanthropist), vintage car enthusiast besides great acting(300 films), singing and directing across multiple languages.

Music and BGM by Mickey J meyer has soothing effect which matches the golden era. This film is a honest tribute to Legendary MAHANATI Savithri Garu. Take a bow to all the cast and crew for their wonderful performances.

# This film will be remembered in history of TFI as the first BIOPIC with reverences of stalwarts like NTR garu, ANR garu, K V reddy garu, SV Rangarao garu, Savitri amma, LV prasad garu, etc. , NOTE: the above are just my views and understanding ...and don't treat this as review. EPICs cannot be reviewed just see and enjoy.

I wanted to give it 9 stars because movie did take artistic liberty with a few of the scenes, but I have nothing but praise for how they went about making this film.

The parallel story to help us connect with the past is brilliant story telling. The research done by the costume department paired with the cinematography of Dani Sanchez-Lopez gives us the closest one can come to time traveling into the past while staying put. Venkateswara Rao Kotagiri's editing features seamless transitions when switching between time periods and helps with Savithri's aging process without abrupt change. The soundtracks and background music isn't you typical people breaking into song and dance but an extension to the emotions experienced by the characters. The director can pat his back for the casting. You have given a chance for Keerthi to show her acting skills. The support cast did a great job too. Samanth's dialog delivery at the end of the film gave me goosebumps. DQ's performance as a charmer translated across the screen.

This is the sort of cinema I have been waiting for. If film making is one of the prominant art forms of contemporary telugu people, the commercial mass films do little to progress the art form. There is art for art's sake. There is art for a reason. This film is definitely the latter. I have often wondered how we went from the likes of Satyajit Ray to what we have today. This film is what I have missed for a long time. It makes me proud of my heritage. I cant wait to watch some of the older films featured in this film.

It left me teary eyed and stronger somehow. Thank you Nag Ashwin for this work. I will follow your career closely from now on.

I'm mostly familiar with Bollywood, although I have seen a few Tamil movies. This title was both a cinematic and a learning experience for me. It's a biopic of the most famous actress in Telegu cinema of the 50's and 60's. The story may seem awfully familiar, but I guess that's the fate of fame. Here's what I loved about this film: the integration of two stories, one modern, one historical; the amazing abilitiy, innocence, sweetness and essential goodness of Savitri (and the actress who portrayed her); the use of the black & white recreations of old film; the depiction of a wide-open film industry like Hollywood was said to be in the 1930's; and finally, the scaled-down musical numbers (I really don't like the nouveau Bollywood musical numbers, with the hip-hop, modern clothing and blondes). I did some reading and You-Tubing after I watched this, and the accuracy of this depiction seems spot-on. I don't give 10s as a rule, but this film is 9+.

Direction, Background Music, artist performances....everything is superb.

Especially 2nd half is really really good.

I've never in my wildest thought would have imagined Keerthy Suresh could be a testament, her presence match on par to the late Savitri that there is not a frame in this film that doesn't feel her infection leaving a mark which will remain with you long after the cinema. It was a facepalm moment for the Keerthy Suresh critic in me while witnessing Mahanati, the star who has slogged her way through so much mediocre films, has had her fair share of significance in tinsel town doing the same roles, and bats her eyelashes to woo the bozos and incel fellas. Facepalm moment for yours truly after watching Mahanati. Total kick in the teeth!

Prep plan: Well I wanted to do my ritual of having a little booze before entering a bog-standard film with my friends. To add to the tragedy with a day left for Karnataka elections, Government had notified pubs and bars to be closed till 12th of May. Well, a U-turn to return home, i almost bailed, but stayed for the sake of Dulquer Salman. Figured, alright, let's give this "cringey Keerthy Suresh" a shot, stone-cold sober in Gandhinagar which is the hubspot of cinema fans across Bangalore.

The movie ended, i walked out of cinema with such a great joy of seeing a decent Telugu film after ages. Last time I felt this happy, hmm in top of my head i'd say it's Gotta be "Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu". Keerthy, she plays this innocent girl throughout, sometimes it feels a bit too much, kich kich, but the background music saves it. As you may be aware that the story follows Savitri's exodus from her village to Madras who dreams of making it big while her well-wishers believe that she can create waves in repertoire cinema. She then meets the Quixotic Gemini Ganeshan and her life blooms as she travels in green pastures.

Well good things come to an end so does this love story of rags to riches and riches to rags. I don't want dig more on the story as the movie plays out like a partly like a melodrama documentary. The screenplay filled with subtext provided a sort of ongoing commentary on the story that makes it much more interesting. Seeing obvious parallels with the lead actress' reel and real lives collide is odd, but like the parallels between Savitri and the character she is preparing to play, it only adds depth to the story and gives us more insight into what is happening and mixes effortlessly with the central story.

Without a doubt, "Mahanati" is a fine piece of cinema that will captivate audiences of all kinds, whether they're looking for entertainment, time-pass or an engaging cinematic experience.