Mahanati

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+.

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.

From a person who has almost zero knowledge about the telugu film industry and its upbringing, Mahanati's aura and atmosphere will always be distant from me. But even from that itself i was able to witness an epic, drawn from a simple script and effort that makes this a great, if not , a must watch.

Telugu film industry is probably considered by many as the place that houses simple, no nonsense mass masala films. But recent times has proven us wrong. From Rangasthalam , Baahubali and Arjun Reddy, it has proven itself to be able to sustain well executed, brilliant films as well.

Mahanati will be a film that has the potential to be a classic. But not all biographies achieve the reach and attention that Mahanati so easily gets. It's not about the making, but how the story is told that makes it so damn exciting. From the loose opening to the grandeur ending, Mahanati is a gift to all those who embrace film in its raw form : to tell a story.

Biographies often have the tendency to fictionalize certain events for dramatic purposes. And i don't know how much Mahanati is fictionalized. As much as i can differ between those which are fictionalized and those which are real, Mahanti has done that expertly. The fictionalization is on spot. It can be compared to, perhaps as a event that is to emphasize something more, rather than just a blunt scene.

Mahanati's biggest plus might be its cast. Keerthy Suresh has grown from a simple, 'cute' actress to someone who can wield powerful performances, if demanded. Dulquer, Samantha all provided the performance that everyone expects. It is sure a economical casting. Dulquer has his roots in Malayalam. So does Keerthy. Samantha has established herself a prominent actress in the whole of south India and Vijay Deverakonda's next film is sure to make the counters ticking.

The cinematography does need some mention. The frames were slick, moving and fast. It doesn't sacrifice space for sub-par elements. Though the comedic scenes were bit of a mess. Perhaps it appeals to the region based film critics.

Mahanati is south India's answer to a legend. And it sure is one.

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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.

Very good movie and great direction of naagi garu. And all the cast done very great job especially keerthy suresh. The story inspires more people..