Sumanth Pic in Mahendragiri Varahi
BOTTOM LINE
Stale Mystic Thriller
RATING
1.5/5
Story, Screenplay, Director: Santhosh Jagarlapudi
Cast: Sumanth, Meenakshi Goswami, Aishwarya Rajesh, Malvika Nair, Manju Bhargavi, Brahmanandam, Rajeev Kanakala, Vennela Kishore
Music Director: Anup Rubens
DOP: Pratap R Krishna
Editor: Junaid Siddiqui
Producer: Madhu Kalipu, Laxman
Presented By: Rajashyamala Entertainments, Bridge Films
Production Company: Rajashyamala Entertainments, Bridge Films
U.S. Distributor:
Related Links: Trailer
A local deity, Varahi, curses Mahendragiri’s royal family. Every male in the family, after turning 33, will die, according to the legend.
Enter Siddharth (Sumanth), an atheist who runs a YouTube channel exposing fake miracles and believers. An unfortunate event ties him to the events related to the Mahendragiri family and its curse. Did he solve the mystery? The main story involves revealing the truth about Mahendragiri Varahi.
Performances
Sumanth, as always, is sincere in what he does. The movie offers him something different from the usual, and he handles it in his own way.
The interval block and pre-climax are where Sumanth shines in the material given. The rest is the usual stuff; we see him doing it casually.
Meenakshi Goswami doesn’t have much to do in the movie. It’s a hero-driven narrative, and the female leads just help the story move along. Nothing stands out, performance-wise.
Santhossh Jagarlapudi writes and directs Mahendragiri Varahi. It is a mystic thriller with divine elements thrown in equal measure.
As is with films in this space, the world’s lore is established immediately as the titles begin. The Varahi deity and its legend are instantly established without wasting much time.
Usually, a beginning like this shouldn’t be missed, as it’s key to the rest of the proceedings. That’s not the case here, though, as it’s repeated throughout the movie at frequent intervals.
We then proceed to the hero’s world and his character. Everything plays out clinically, following a formula. The excitement related to the content and the backdrop is not felt anywhere.
After more than an hour, around the pre-interval and interval mark, some urgency and momentum appear. The event makes you look forward to the second half to see how it pans out.
The second half starts on a positive note, but the problems that persisted in the first hour resurface. It is related to the execution; it’s lacklustre.
The content in the second half is clearly better than the first, but the execution doesn’t let it land.
The dilemma of the hero, the attacks, the saving, the divine intervention, and finally the revealing twists back-to-back- they all look fine on paper, but have been poorly brought out on the big screen.
The climax in particular goes overboard in revealing the twists. It gives an outdated vibe. The same things could have been better with a better vision and presentation.
Overall, Mahendragiri Varahi is a mystic thriller where neither the mystery thrills nor the devotional angle surprises. It is mainly due to the execution. It’s a tiring watch even on OTT, which makes it even harder to watch in theatres.
Performances by Other Actors
Aishwarya Rajesh and Siddhu Jonnalagadda are seen in brief cameo roles. The former is forgettable, whereas the latter is alright. We then have Brahmanandam, Rajeev Kanakala and Vennela Kishore. They play their parts adequately. Malvika Nair, Manju Bhargavi and others are okay.
Anup Rubens provides the music and the background score. The songs don’t register. The BGM feels overdone. The cinematography lacks the big-screen appeal. It’s bad. The editing adds to the messy appeal. The dialogues are serviceable at best.
Highlights?
Backdrop
Interval
Climax
Drawbacks?
Direction
First Hour
Parts Of The Second Half
Not Enough Thrills
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
No
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