Failed to impress: Mahesh Babu’s ‘Guntur Kaaram’, Teja Sajja’s ‘Hanuman’ & Nagarjuna’s ‘Naa Saami Ranga’

Yes yes yes, before you comment or come at me, I know I am late to write about these films, which released probably some 20 days ago. However, I thought I’d address all these festive releases together. Now, you must be wondering why ’Saindhav’ or ‘Fighter’ isn’t here - Couldn’t sum up interest to watch these two — so, writing about them may or may not happen. Anyway, as per the headline, I’d first like to establish that I am not saying that none of these films could make a mark for me but I am going to highlight that while majorly none of them impressed me, some bits and pieces were pure celebratory.

Mahesh Babu’s ‘Guntur Kaaram’ was apparently the most-anticipated film that his fans were patiently waiting for. It served in several aspects but not in terms of the story. The story takes a lot of time to build. Many of the characters are underutilised. Some characters were placed only to increase head count on the screen. Sreeleela felt like a misfit until she started dancing, which by now we all know is her forte. But Mahesh Babu was no less in terms of dancing. He definitely killed it. The story is of a son’s longing for his mother but the plot is only made clear in the last 30 minutes of the film. Ramya Krishna looks amazing but there isn’t enough of her in the film. So, ‘Guntur Kaaram’ was missing a little of spice and salt in it in terms of the screenplay. 

What stood out as a competition for Mahesh’s film was Teja Sajja-starrer ‘Hanuman’. The film received rave reviews from audiences as well as critics. However, it doesn’t meet the hyped expectations. Some of the sequences are spectacular. Teja is a true star, and this film proves it. A lot of what we see reminds of us what SS Rajamouli has already done with ‘Baahubali’ franchise and also a lot of what we saw in Tovino Thomas’ ‘Minnal Murali’. Well, one can defend the film stating that introductory films cannot be very different. But what I loved about ‘Minnal Murali’ is how the anti-hero is also humane on so many levels and character is truly written brilliantly, which is where ‘Hanuman’ fails. The villain of the film is introduced as a power hungry maniac but he doesn’t create the fear of evil that’s required for ‘good wins over evil’ kind of stories to make an impression. Some scenes are dragged. But overall it is not a bad theatrical experience. One thing is for sure - ‘Hanuman’ is yet another addition to magnum opus pan-Indian film universe. There is a lot that Prasanth Verma can offer with his upcoming universe. 

Lastly, ‘Naa Saami Ranga’ - This Nagarjuna Akkineni-starrer wouldn’t became half of what it is without Allari Naresh. He is the highlight of the film. His dance, his scenes, dialogues — Pitch perfect. But without him, I felt the story becomes a snooze fest. Raj Tarun -- You'd ask yourself - Why is he even there in the film.

So, if I had to lay down the best to okay — I’d say ‘Hanuman’, ‘Guntur Kaaram’ and ‘Naa Saami Ranga’.