Srimanthudu Movie Review

Cast: Mahesh Babu, Shruti Haasan, Jagapathi Babu and others

Directed by: Koratala Siva

Produced by: Naveen, Ravi Shankar, Mohan

Banner: Mythri Movie Makers

Music by: Devi Sri Prasad

Release Date: 2015-08-07

Mahesh Babu is back and how! After back to back disappointments Superstar bounces back with a movie that has solid content as well as commercial appeal. Director Koratala Siva has come up with yet another winner after Mirchi. Srimanthudu is a film that will make you think with its undercurrent message and make you go berserk with superb elevation scenes of the hero.

What is it about?

Harsha (Mahesh) is the son of a very rich businessman (Jagapathi Babu). He meets Charuseela (Shruti) who tells a hidden truth about his life. That changes Harsha forever and he lands in a village. He adopts the village but faces problems from the local politician Sasi (Sampath Raj). How Harsha overcomes all those troubles and achieves his goal forms rest of the story.

Performances:

Mahesh Babu: One cannot imagine any other actor as Harsha. Mahesh gets into the skin of the character and takes every scene to another level with his spellbinding performance. There are different shades to this character and Mahesh does justice in every aspect. His handsome looks and charismatic styling adds value to the character. Watch out for his performance in the penultimate scene.

Shruti Haasan and Others: Shruti got an author backed role. She is extremely good in emotional scenes. Jagapathi Babu looked stylish as a rich father. He is quite impressive in the scenes with Mahesh. Rajendra Prasad is natural in a very important role. Vennela Kishore and Ali tried to add some fun to the proceedings. Sampath Raj and other villains are aptly cast.

Technicalities:

Koratala Siva: Koratala Siva has a knack of telling old stories in an interesting way. Not just Mirchi, the movies for which he worked as a writer too had this special touch. He is very good at writing emotional as well as hero elevation scenes. There are so many scenes that have his mark on them and he is surely a director to watch out for.

DSP and Others: Koratala Siva's dialogs are another asset to this film. Devi Sri Prasad's songs are in perfect sync with the film. Background score is pretty impressive too. Top notch work from the cinematographer. Editing could have been tighter. Production values are rich.

Thumbs Up:

Mahesh

Concept

Screenplay

Second Half

Thumbs Down:

Slow Pace

Running time

Analysis:

Srimanthudu has a storyline that doesn't suit for a commercial star. Koratala Siva weaved magic with his narrative skills and tremendous grip over commercial elements. The film is about knowing your roots and giving back to the society. Kudos to Koratala Siva for making a commercial film with this concept.

Srimanthudu starts off slowly by highlighting the emotional clash between father and son. Action episodes are cleverly placed in the film so that it doesn't get preachy and bored. Second half is a rollercoaster ride of emotions and action. Protagonist character appears very emotional in the family scenes and extremely heroic when he meets the bad guys. Siva struck a right balance between these shades and used it effectively to cater to all sections of audience.

Mahesh Babu's majestic performance and the dialogues will keep you hooked until the end. Runtime could have been trimmed a bit, especially during the climax part. Srimanthudu may not appeal to the mindless entertainment seekers. It is a perfect blend of commercial elements and meaningful content. Srimanthudu will not only please Mahesh fans but also win the hearts of movie lovers. We can expect this film to conquer the box office as well.