Hanuman marks the collaboration of Teja Sajja and director Prasanth Varma. The film hit the marquee today and here is what we have to say after watching the mythological film. 

Story: Hanumanthu(Teja Sajja) is a low-key thief who survives on the paltry robberies that he does on the streets. But his life changes drastically when he acquires superpowers following a series of events. But he now has to find a way to effectively use these powers for his betterment and is also designated with the job of rescuing his sister Anjamma(Varalaxmi Sarathkumar) who is grave danger. There are superpowers from unearthly beings as well, who try to nab Hanumanthu. Will he emerge victories in this race against time?

How did the actors perform?

Teja Sajja runs the show with his refined performance. He has been around for many years now right from the days he was operating as a child artist. He uses the experience to enact the role of Hanumanthu which is evidently derived from the heroic Hanuman character from the Hindu mythology of Ramayana.  

Varalaxmi SarathKumar as the hero’s sister looks good and she has delivered a fine performance in this tomboy role. Get-up Srinu is good in his comical role. The rest of the cast deliver whatever’s expected of them. 

What about the technical finesse?

The director Prashanth Varma picks a unique subject that has a lot of freshness and at the same time has the relatability factor thanks to the fact that it is based on Hanuman character. He weaves an interesting story around it. But as a storyteller he could’ve done a better job with the flow of the film as the first 15 minutes or so have been wasted with lackluster character development. 

Music by Hari Gaura, Anudeep, and Krishna Saurab worked in tune with the narrative. The visual presentation is good. The VFX works are a mixed bag. Certain sequences shaped up very well while a few look weak. Production values are good. 

Analysis:

Hanuman is essentially a film based on the mythological character of Lord Hanuman. The start is a shaky one as the character establishment blocks are weak. But once the protagonist gets the superpowers that resemble Lord Hanuman, the film picks up the base. The interval block is of top tier quality. 

There are 5-6 goosebumps-inducing sequences in the film and the director Prashanth has done a clever job at placing them whenever the story takes a side step. These well crafted elevation blocks work like a charm with the larger section of the audience. 

The starting portion in the second half is on the weaker note as the repeated conflict point is established. More creative narrative is expected from Prasanth here. 

The latter half has a few high moments. The real standout is the climax portion though as it stands out. The Hanuman revealing shots and the Hindu mythology touch given here are exquisite. The final 20 minutes are of elite league quality. 

Verdict: Despite a few lagged and repetitive scenes in either halves, Hanuman mostly makes for an engaging watch. It can be termed as a perfect Sankranthi film, as audience are more focused on getting a paisa vasool film than a novel one. Hanuman fits the bill perfectly here.

Rating: 3/5