Amidst huge hype and expectations, superstar Mahesh Babu’s prestigious project ‘Sarkaru Vaari Paata’ has hit the screens. Fans of Mahesh have been waiting to see their matinee idol for the past two years and the day has finally arrived. Written and directed by Parasuram, this wholesome entertainer generated a positive buzz right from the title announcement itself. The trailer increased the expectations massively and fans are expecting to see vintage Mahesh Babu once again. Even the star hero mentioned that he had ‘Pokiri’ vibes which is making them even more excited. The songs have become super hits already and let us dive into the review straight away to know more about it.
What is it about?
Mahesh (Mahesh Babu) is an orphan who lost his parents in childhood. They commit suicide as they fail to pay the loans to the bank. He decides that he should never be in a position to take the loan but give it to people instead. He studies hard, goes to the US and establishes a finance company. He is very strict when it comes to taking the installments and interests. He falls into the trap of Kalaavathi (Keerthy Suresh) who takes money from Mahesh claiming that it is for studies but spends on parties and gambling instead. Not knowing this, Mahesh falls for her and desires to marry her. After getting to know her true colors, he lands in India to get his money back from her father Rajendranath (Samuthirakani). Mahesh takes up a bigger mission after that and whether he succeeds in it or not should be watched on the big screens.
Performances:
Superstar Mahesh has been opting for serious roles which required controlled acting from him for the past few years. He is back to his ‘Dookudu’ and ‘Khaleja’ days with ‘Sarkaru Vaari Paata’. He looked very handsome and energetic. His unparalleled comedy timing is on full display and fans are sure to have a blast in theatres. He carried the film on his shoulders as everyone would expect. He did well in emotional scenes too and his dressing style is on point in this film. It is safe to say that this movie can be watched for Mahesh alone.
Keerthy Suresh looked very pretty in this film. She put on a bit of weight compared to her last few films and she did a very good job. Samuthirakani did a decent job but his role is not etched properly. Vennela Kishore generated good laughs in the first half. These types of roles are a cakewalk for him. Naga Babu is adequate in a small role and actors like Subbaraju and Tanikella Bharani did justice to their parts.
Technicalities:
Considering the form Thaman is in at the moment, ‘Sarkaru Vaari Paata’ is definitely not his best work. Barring ‘Kalaavathi’, none of the songs are special, ‘Ma Ma Mahesha’ has nothing great on the music front but it is sure to make the fans go wild. People expect a lot from his background scores but he leaves a lot of to be desired this time. Madhie’s cinematography is one of the major highlights of this film. He presented the film in wonderful light and the visuals looked amazing. The editing is decent though the second half could have been a little crisper. The production values are top-notch from Mythri Movie Makers and 14 Reels Plus banners.
Director Parasuram was highly successful in bringing out the comic side of Mahesh Babu. He presented the superstar in a way that his fans wanted to see him for a long time. But he did not impress in the story and screenplay department. He generated good fun in the first half but failed to come up with a strong screenplay despite a relatable storyline. You can enjoy this film if you don’t care about logic and emotions and just watch it for Mahesh
Thumbs Up:
Mahesh Babu
Penny & Kalavathi Songs
Thumbs Down:
Weak & Uneven Narrative
Second Half
Preachy Dialogues
Analysis:
Most of the star heroes in the South opt for larger-than-life stories and characters. Even the crowd also expects the same which is why some films where our stars try to be realistic don’t work out at the box office. Everything should be grand in a star hero project. The conflict point between the hero and villain should also be very strong in order to bring out the required emotion from the viewer. This is where ‘Sarkaru Vaari Paata’ falters. The protagonist leaves everything and starts going after the heroine who takes 10,000 dollars from him. He even follows her to India and becomes adamant about getting back his money. The film is quite engaging till the director used the money angle for driving the comedy track and the romantic episodes in the first half. But using the same point for creating a conflict between hero and villain and trying to run the film on it appears a bit silly. Though he manages to twist it by bringing a debt of over ten thousand crores, there is no connection between the hero and this huge debt directly. Hero tries to fight for a cause that doesn’t belong to him and this fails to generate any emotion. Despite the comedy sequences working out, Mahesh doing his best to please his fans and all other glittery commercial ingredients, the story and screenplay fail to connect or engage the viewer which makes ‘Sarkaru Vaari Paata’ an average watch.
The director picked an interesting point. He wanted to write a story by showcasing how banks ignore businessmen who take thousands of crores and run away but don’t show any sympathy for common people who fail to pay two installments. This contemporary storyline should have been relatable to everyone but he failed to make it interesting. Mainly, he couldn’t tie the hero’s character to the story he wanted to narrate. None of the films where the hero took other’s mission and made it his own worked out. The same is case with ‘Sarkaru Vaari Paata’. Apart from the above-discussed silly 10,000 dollars conflict, the villain doesn’t have any issue with the hero character. It is the policy of the hero to get back his money no matter who the opposite person is. Hero lands in India just because the heroine’s father says something on the phone and bashes the rowdies he sent. This makes the audience a bit confused and suddenly the film arrives near the 10,000 crores debt that the villain has to pay to the bank.
Many predict that hero might have landed in India with a bigger mission in his mind but all he does is take up some other guy’s mission and targets the villain. Despite the presence of a hero like Mahesh Babu, the audience fails to get attached to the proceedings. The film starts off pretty well and the hero-heroine track is quite entertaining which engages the audience. But Parasuram found it tough to take the movie forward as soon as he needed to explain the serious story. He loses track completely and fails to generate any interest among the audience. The fight between hero and villain, making moves on each other and challenging each other didn’t appear convincing at all. The heroine enters the scene in the second half and generates some good laughs but it acts as a roadblock to the actual story. Barring a few hero elevation scenes, there are big plus points in the second half and the speeches from Mahesh get a bit out of hand too. With a regular climax that doesn’t bring out any interest, the graph of the film falls down even further. Apart from the entertainment in the first half, Mahesh’s charm and energy, fan moments and good technical output, there is nothing more in ‘Sarkaru Vaari Paata’. As it is a Mahesh Babu film with good fun moments, it is a one-time watch if you manage to ignore the storyline.
Verdict:
‘Sarkaru Vaari Paata’ – Mahesh Shines But Film Falters