Hanu-Man is a Telugu-language superhero fantasy film written and directed by Sekhar Gangamoni. The film has Teja Sajja & Amritha Aiyer in lead roles while Vinay Rai, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Raj Deepak Shetty, Vennela Kishore, Getup Srinu, Satya, Rohini & others are seen playing important supporting characters. The music is composed by Gowra Hari, Anudeep Dev & Krishna Saurabh and the film is produced by Niranjan Reddy Kandagatla under Primeshow Entertainment banner.
Story:
The movie is set in a fictional village called Anjanadri which is ruled by an evil person and because of him, the entire village suffers. Hanumanthu (Teja Sajja) is a small-time thief in Anjanadri who doesn’t want to take on the responsibilities of adulthood. He lives with his sister ( Varalaxmi Sarathkumar) and is deeply in love with Meenakshi (Amritha Aiyer). In an attempt to save Meenakshi from the evil forces, his path leads him to become a superhero as he gets the powers of Lord Hanuman. How Hanumanthu will be able to save the village with his superpowers forms the rest of the film.
What about on-screen performances?
Teja Sajja as Hanumanthu is the biggest asset of the film. He delivers his career-best performance till date and he makes sure that the viewers get a feeling that he is the apt choice for the lead role. He seamlessly swings between action, comedy & drama and carries the film on his shoulders, effortlessly.
Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, who plays the sister of Hanumanthu, lends solid support to the lead character as she also holds her own. It is refreshing to see her in a comedy space like this and she gets in the biggest mass moment in the second half which is a treat.
Amritha Aiyer who plays Hanumanthu’s love interest is cute and has an endearing presence. She also delivers a decent performance in her key role.
Vinay Rai is excellent as the supervillain. He suits the looks perfectly and performs well too.
Vennela Kishore is a surprise package in the film and is superb in his key role as a scientist.
Getup Srinu and Satya are hilarious in their respective role and provide ample comic relief.
Raj Deepak Shetty, Rohini, and all the rest of the supporting cast are fine in their parts.
What about off-screen talents?
The story by Prasanth Varma is very well written. He made sure he followed the classic superhero template to the tee and perfectly blended the mythological superhero character with good sci-fi & fantasy elements. The dialogues too are neatly penned adding value to the plot.
The screenplay by Prasanth Varma & Scriptsville team is very engaging. Apart from a little drag in the middle portions in both halves, the narrative keeps us entertained all throughout the run time. The way the monkey character is blended into the plot with Ravi Teja’s dubbing is a prime example of the good writing the film had.
Director Prasanth Varma’s work in the film is brilliant. His direction is first rate and he handles the scale of the film in a decent manner. The way he presented the superhero film without having any issues with the devotional figure he chose is appreciable. He also subtly delivers an important message and simultaneously piques viewers’ interest in revisiting the story of Hanuman from Indian mythology.
The camera work by Dasaradhi Sivendra is top-notch. All the frames look grand giving a rich canvas look on the big screens.
The edit by Sai Babu Talari could have been better as almost about 15 minutes in the film could have been easily chopped off in the middle portions.
The songs by Gowra Hari, Anudeep Dev & Krishna Saurabh are lovely and go in quite well with the narrative. The background score by Gowra Hari complements the narrative whenever required and adds good value to the key scenes.
Special mention to the whole art department and the VFX department for the grand visuals. All the VFX shots look pretty decent and proving this kind of output with the limited budgets is truly commendable.
The production values by Primeshow Entertainment are grand.
What’s Hot?
* Teja Sajja’s Performance
* All Hanuman Reference Scenes
* Superhero Power Scenes & Interval Episode
* Amritha Aiyer & Varalaxmi’s Performance
* Super Hero Concept & Engaging Screenplay
* Clean Comedy & Good Emotions
* Well Made Songs & Superb Background Score
* Cinematography & Production Values
* Excellent VFX & First Rate Direction
What’s Not?
* Drag In Middle Portions
* Lengthy Pre Climax Sequences
* Repetitive Villain Episodes
Verdict: HanuMan is a perfect Sankranthi entertainer that has all the required elements for a complete family watch in the theatres. Except for a little drag here & there, the film hits the right chords with the superhero theme mixed with the devotional value of lord Hanuman. The film will be especially loved by the kids and will work big time in the North market with the positive word of mouth.
TeluguBulletin.com Rating: 3.25/5