Magadheera

"Magadheera" is an indigenous product from our own very soil with significant portion of the plot inspired by bedtime tales of taatayya/ naanamma/ ammama and presented on screen at a lavish scale bench-marked by likes of "Gladiator"/ "300". Without an iota of doubt, "Magadheera" is a praise- worthy effort for the top-class CGI's that transports the audience straight into the period era. Next to CGI I am afraid everything comes to a grinding halt. The entire team seems to have been obsessed with over-the-top production values that nobody bothered to tap even a single shoulder and ask "Where is the plot heading dude?". It would be an understatement to mention the writing has holes as the proceedings give an impression that the impromptu scribbling act was attempted on the set a few minutes before the shot was canned. The editor I am sure made a silent prayer with every stitch that logic remains unquestioned by the audience. Songs by Keeravani don't quite rise upto the expectations. The action sequences are well executed though.

Ѻ Kajal Agarwal:: The new poster-girl on the block, thanks to the good looks. It was evident that she attempts to cover up her acting skills with her coy expressions. Undoubtedly Ms. Kajal is good as "Indira" but sadly a misfit to pull-off the regal character of "Yuvarani Mitravinda Devi". On that note, perhaps there was a good opportunity for heroine #2 to stage an entry (on the lines of every papa Chiranjeevi's movie).

Ѻ Rao Ramesh:: Brings in the stage-like performance coupled with his makeup, gait and hissing dialogue delivery to breathe life into the character of "Aghora".

Ѻ Mumait Khan:: Attempts to displace "Disco Shanti" in the garb of "Bangaru Kodi Petta" remix. On behalf of the fans of the original version, do I need to spell the word "foul"?

Ѻ Suneel & Brahmanandam were merely a force-fit into the storyline. The appalling act in the name of comedy was easily dispensable.

Ѻ Kim Sharma:: Her item song was clearly a force-fit.

Ѻ Dev Gill:: Has got what is takes to breathe a menacingly evil re- incarnate into life. Stands out clearly and now that Sonu Sood has found glory in his own hamlet, perhaps Dev Gill should consider filling in his shoes.

Ѻ Sarathbabu:: Though a short role but effortlessly essayed.

Ѻ Srihari:: Again the writing is at lowest ebb with regards to fleshing out the character of "Sher Khan/ Solomon". Dropping straight into the climax out-of-the-blue is cinematic liberties at its best.

Ѻ Chiranjeevi:: Reprises his persona of mega-star with his signature style, signature dialogues and signature mannerism in a cameo which can be best described as "There you go son, my fan-base is now all yours. Entice them!". Encapsulating father-son in the same screen space is nothing more than a Kodak moment.

And finally about....

Ѻ Ram Charan Teja:: Every heir to a legacy wishes for a wand which could make the comparison go away and magically exceeds expectations. If such did exist I am sure Chiranjeevi Junior would have been the highest bidder. Under the garb of technical brilliance everything gets pushed under the carpet, which includes his performance. Chiru's fans might be benevolent this time and a few times more, but in order to stay in business he needs to build his own army of loyal soldiers. Ram Charan Teja clearly has miles to go before papa can sleep.

Sometimes you feel you should be the first one to review a movie so to share and enjoy the applause that it gets later on. Magadheera is just of that kind. I was amazed and thrilled by the way the movie starts over that deep valley. Some say the movie lets you down in the next half an hour but I suspect that was a ploy by the director. Reason simple, if it was the other way, it would have ended up being an overdose. A mediocre 30-40 minutes with an undercurrent indication to the flash back opened up doors to what is undoubtedly the best achievement in Telugu cinema in movies of this Genre.

Awesome is what I had in my mind leaving to the interval break. Rarely does one feel the break time in Indian cinema is not needed and this happens to be one such occasion. Second half started the roller-coaster ride. You see all the effort that the technicians had put in the movie. While songs are not at their best while listening, they were much better on picture. Dheera Dhreera song should be one of the best pictured songs in Telugu cinema. Charan has a long way to go but there are a few areas where he needs to work out a lot. But well.. for someone in his very second movie, he seems to had put extraordinary effort for this outcome. A pat on back for Rajamouli too.

Some scenes of the movie will haunt you for a long time. The starting scene and the scene where the horse (Badshah) comes back to rescue Charan. The horse chase sequences leading to scene are also superbly pictured. In spite of some obvious logical errors, I felt utterly satisfied for a Telugu movie after a long time. Hard work pays off.

PS: Rarely (sad but true! ) we'll get chance to take our non-Telugu colleagues to a Telugu movie and feel proud. Make the most of it with Magadheera. Let all know that our industry can make the best of the best.

I watched this movie at Cinemax...first day first Show....Really this picture deserves a 9/10 and with no doubt...Each and every aspect of the movie is good and director SS Rajmouli has taken good care of the technical aspect which was outstanding in Telugu Cinema after Arundhati.......and i fell like this movie should be in Hindi, English also and........ 9 REASONS WHY THIS MOVIE SHOULD BE WATCHED: 1. Songs are Excellent 2. Bike Chasings and Stunts. 3. Kajal Agarwal- Right choice for the role and did justice to the role. 4. Dialogue delivery by Charan - reminds in some parts like Chiru. 5. Excellent performance by Srihari. 6. Special Mention for the Scene where Charan kills 100 Soilders. 7. Spell blinding technical aspects..where good care is taken for each and every take. 8. Cameo role by Chiru 9. Horse Racing, Sword fighting and good action Sequences.

Hence, 9/10.

The movie was so good. The story was an old one but the way they presented was amazing. The vfx and sound effects were very good in the movie.

When you are going to any S.S. Rajamouli movie..you always have a feeling that rarely he lets the audience down...right from Student no.1 to Chatrapthi to Simhadri or Yamadonga he always makes sure he provides a movie which hangs on to you for a while..well Magadheera is much more than that and arguably is best work by SS.Rajamouli so far..

Why do I say the previous line? The visuals,action sequences,romance,songs everything about this movie is really engaging and even the story though being simple makes you involve in it and during the scene where the hero dives down the mountain after the heroine..you feel your heart dropping too...and not just that scene but many others. Kajal is convincing as a bubbly girl who was a princess in her last birth..and it didn't feel that she was just a showpiece in the movie..Srihari had a brief but impacting roles of sher khan and Solomon..Chiru's guest appearance was kinda disappointing for me as I was hoping I would get to see him dance which didn't happen..but the person we definitely need to talk about here is Ram Charan the hero of the movie...Ram Charan has improved his acting by miles...compared to Chirutha..and has really proved that he can handle acting well...It seemed as if the role was written for him and no other actor would suit this role. the risky horse riding shots..the fight sequences...the sword fighting...everything was performed with ease by Ram Charan..

with good performances by the actors..and a visually stunning movie..and Rajamouli style of story telling...Magadheera would easily become one of the best movies of 2009 ..specially some sequences like fight sequence near Shiva statue...Udaygadh visual beauty...the sets used..the graphics...the concept...the opening scene..are first time ever in Telugu film industry...I give it 8/10 and its definitely worth a watch..