Magadheera movie (south india)review

After not-so-impressive Chirutha, Ram Charan Tej returns as a valiant soldier and breathes life into the larger-than-life role
Magadheera
Similarly, Kaajal known for simple lover girl roles transforms into a determined princess and truly impresses. The big budget extravaganza establishes that discarded re-incarnation can be a money-spinning theme if it is appropriately exploited in Tollywood. Despite a few narrative lapses, the much-hyped semi-periodic epic lives up to expectations.

Agreed that director Rajamouli was inspired by Hollywood biggies like Gladiator and Troy but he makes it work by capturing a captivating romantic drama between a princess and a valiant solider in the folklore kind of a movie set 400 years ago.

However, the director doesn’t show similar passion in treating the ‘present-day period as he relies on bland comedy and repetitive scenes. Cinematographer Senthil Kumar presents a visually-exciting film, particularly in the flashback portions. But Keeravani’s musical compositions are not up to the mark, barring two catchy numbers.

The film starts with a young warrior expressing his love but his beloved slips from the mountains and the guy follows suit.

Cut to the present. The young hero is now a biking freak and earns a living out of betting. One day, he happens to meet a girl at a bus stop and connects to her instantly. The girl (Kaajal) herself plays truant with him and finally cupid strikes between the two. Meanwhile, her dreaded maternal uncle (Dev Gil) returns and resolves to marry his pretty niece.

But whenever, he tries to get closer to Kaajal a warrior-like person haunts him. He visits an aghora to discover the mystery behind the dream. He comes to know that their ‘rivalry’ is 400 years old and they are back to fight it out for the same girl. Check it out a theatre, to know how the gripping drama unfolds.

Ram Charan Tej showcases his horse-riding and dancing skills to perfection, while Kaajal showcases her histrionic skills. Actor Dev Gil is adequate as the ruthless villain. Comedian Sunil fails to evoke laughs.

Unlike his previous action-centric films, director Rajamouli dishes a heart-touching love story in a lavish canvas convincingly. Also kudos for the way he has visualised and presented the film. Seems like he has a winner on hand to keep up his winning streak.