Magadheera - Review

Bringing out love stories or subjects with action backdrop to attract mass audiences is not new to the Telugu film industry. However, director SS Rajamouli has chosen a fantastic love story for his movie Magadheera and linked it to a love story that dated back to some 400 years. He has filled complete energy in the film and no doubt, the graphic works and modern technology are perfectly used for the movie. As a whole, the film reminds the audiences of watching a Hollywood movie with perfect local flavour.

Harsha (Ram Charan Teja) is a guy with craze for motorcycles. He earns money by participating in bike races. He happens to meet Indu (Kajal Agarwal) and falls in love with her. She also realises that Harsha is truly loving her. Indu"s father (Surya) is fighting a legal battle for his ancestral property in Udayagiri in Rajasthan with his brother-in-law, whose son Ranadhir (Dev Gill) is also infatuated by her. He promises to return the entire property with a view to marry her. What happens between Harsha and Ranadhir and who will win the heart of Indhu will form the rest of the story.

PLUS: It is Ram Charan Teja, who is responsible for the success of the entire film Magadheera. He has given an impeccable performance all through the film. Especially in the flashback episode, he has excelled in exhibiting the body language, facial expressions and maturity.

Another highlight of the film Magadheera is the perfect screenplay by director SS Rajamouli. His taking display of shrewd mind in elevating the scenes and directorial ability once again reminds the audiences of watching a film at Hollywood range. He has made use of the graphics and high technical values perfectly to suit his subject.

MM Keervani and Kalyani Malik have done their best in the background score. Three songs are foot-tapping and fantastically choreographed. The others are not so catchy, but in the visuals, they too mesmerise the audiences. The biggest highlight of the film is the remix song 'Bangaru Kodipetta…".

Kajal Agarwal has also showed matured performance especially in the flashback episode as a princess. She proved that she is not just after glamour, but she could also perform well. Other artistes including Dev Gill, Saratbabu, Rao Ramesh gave their best. Srihari, though appeared in a couple of scenes, proved his identity in the film. Especially, he excelled as Sherkhan.

MINUS: In the entire film, which runs with love and action elements, Rajamouli turned a blind eye towards the comedy department. The comedy track between Brahmanandam and Hema fails to evoke laughter. Sunil too could not tickle the funny bone of the audiences properly. The director has abruptly closed these characters without prolonging any more. Though Saloni appears in the beginning of a song, it is not known why she was kept in the film, as she did not take part in the song at all. Even the item number by Kim Sharma too is not very impressive.

REMARKS: If the director had a perfect script and gripping screenplay to mould the subject on the celluloid, nothing can stop the film from becoming a hit. Cinematographer Senthil Kumar need to be commended to bring out the film as a celluloid wonder as he has perfectly shot the film with 'Blue Mat" and mixing it with the graphic background. Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao"s editing, Ravinder"s art work and Rama Rajamouli's costumes design should be commended for the perfection.

Producer: Allu Aravind

Director: SS Rajamouli

Cast: Ram Charan Teja, Kajal Agarwal, Srihari, Dev Gill, Saratbabu, Rao Ramesh, Brahmanandam, Sunil, Surya, Sameer, Hema, Mumait Khan, Kim Sarma, Saloni and others

Credits: Story – Vijayendra Prasad, Dialogues – M Ratnam, camera is by KK Senthil Kumar, Cinematography – Senthil Kumar, Editing – Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao, Styling – Rama Rajamouli, Art – Ravinder, Presents – Allu Ramalingaiah, Action – Peter Haynes and Ram-Lakshman, Screenplay and direction – SS Rajamouli.

Banner: Geetha Arts

Released on: July 31, 2009