I've never in my wildest thought would have imagined Keerthy Suresh could be a testament, her presence match on par to the late Savitri that there is not a frame in this film that doesn't feel her infection leaving a mark which will remain with you long after the cinema. It was a facepalm moment for the Keerthy Suresh critic in me while witnessing Mahanati, the star who has slogged her way through so much mediocre films, has had her fair share of significance in tinsel town to woo bozos with her expressions. Well let me stop, this was my perception of the star and it's a kick in the teeth moment for me after getting to see Mahanati. Well I wanted to do my ritual of having a little booze before entering a mediocre film with my friends. To add to the tragedy with a day left for Karnataka elections, Government had notified pubs and bars to be closed till 12th of May. Well, a U-turn to return home was couple of Kms away, but stayed for the sake of Dulquer Salman. Tada, a decent reason to put aside the cringe Keerthy Suresh and watch the film. So entered the cinema hall full sober in Gandhinagar which is the hubspot of cinema fans across Bangalore.
The movie ended, i walked out of cinema with such a great joy of seeing a good Telugu film after ages. The last movie which fits the bill will forever be 2013's 'Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu'. Keerthy Suresh had maintained a childlike innocence throughout the runtime, might look artificial and cringey but the score helps. As you may be aware that the story follows Savitri's exodus from her village to Madras who dreams of making it big while her well-wishers believe that she can create waves in repertoire cinema. She then meets the Quixotic Gemini Ganeshan and her life blooms as she travels in green pastures.
Well good things come to an end so does this love story of rags to riches and riches to rags. I don't want dig more on the story as the movie plays out like a partly like a melodrama documentary. The screenplay filled with subtext provided a sort of ongoing commentary on the story that makes it much more interesting. Seeing obvious parallels with the lead actress' reel and real lives collide is odd, but like the parallels between Savitri and the character she is preparing to play, it only adds depth to the story and gives us more insight into what is happening and mixes effortlessly with the central story. Sure to captivate, Mahanati is a fine piece of film which will be lauded by cinema enthusiasts.
