HanuMan Review: Teja Sajja Starrer is a weak concoction of mass action and mythology

In an interview, HanuMan director Prasanth Varma spoke about goldmine of stories that Indian culture is. He also empasised how it can serve as fodder for homegrown superhero movies. From that perspective, HanuMan promises to be an original, fun superhero movie that introduces its audience to newer facets of Indian mythology. However, it’s a risky proposition to blend religion with superhero genre and film struggles to cope with it.

Hot Take

HanuMan is a hey blend of mythology, fantasy and massy hero-driven narrative. However, it's both film’s strength and weakness. It’s possible to enjoy HanuMan as a campy, self-aware ode to Telugu mass cinema, but when such a film attempts to blend Hindu iconography with such an authoritarian stamp, it becomes hard to overlook its narrative shortcomings, and not take its fantastical strides with a pinch of salt.

Does HanuMan live up to hype?

HanuMan is grossly underwhelming in its promises of an inventive, indie-spirited superhero movie. While one can sense scale of Prasanth Varma’s ambition here, his visuals don’t do justice.

HanuMan struggles to stay firm in its tone

In first half, HanuMan delivers a handful of moments that are hilarious. Prasanth Varma also pays an ode to classic underdog-turned-superhero arc, and he is not wary of acknowledging it. In portions where film is decidedly goofy and over--top, it works.

It’s when film incorporates mythology with its VFX-heavy treatment that it begins to feel both laboured and insincere. It feels wrong to see a film operating on this level of parody suddenly assume this air of significance on pretext of its religious backdrop. HanuMan struggles to pick a tone between campiness and heaviness, and never feels comfortable in its skin.

film’s flaws and shortcomings become glaringly clear in final act where Varma is clearly in a hurry to wrap up narrative while also packing elaborate mythological context to both sum up his story as well as set stage for a sequel. It’s too many things coming at us all at once and it becomes increasingly overbearing.

Visuals don’t match its ambition

way Prasanth Varma designs his scenes and places specific visuals in his narrative throughout, it’s evident filmmaker has great ambition. However, HanuMan doesn’t consistently have finesse or craftsmanship that’s required to pull off a narrative like this.

frantic style of editing that Varma deploys here makes it hard to distinguish HanuMan from any or conventional masala fare. He draws inspiration from SS Rajamouli (apparent in opening credits itself) but doesn’t have that kind of filmmaking poise.

One could give HanuMan give benefit of doubt considering its meager budget (₹30 crore reportedly, excluding print & vertising costs), but HanuMan needed a lot more conviction to pull off what's on paper.

supporting cast holds its own

Even as Varma struggles to navigate campiness and seriousness at once, it’s film’s supporting cast that holds film toger. For all it’s worth, re are plenty of chuckle-worthy moments in film courtesy of actors like Srinu, who plays geeky, conscientious scientist, named Siri. Comedian Satya too pitches in a hilarious performance as a local grocery store owner. Also, Vinay Rai, who is film’s antagonist Michael, is delightfully over--top as a supervillain.

Teja Sajja’s performance is film's biggest undoing

Unfortunately, it’s Teja Sajja's central act that never manages to become film’s driving force. Initially, impish charm of young actor works in film's favour. Even as Hanuman figures out how to deal with his new-found superpowers, re is a constant sense of bewilderment and wonder in him. Teja Sajja pulls se portions well.

However, when it comes down to action-driven sequences or moments of underdog’s powerful rise, Teja Sajja’s performance comes off as very manufactured. It remains in parodic, self-aware and spoofy zone where it’s hard to take our hero figure seriously - at best, we can smile at child-like desire of makers.

Watch it or skip it?

If one wants to explore an Indian superhero movie that’s steeped in its cultural backdrop, HanuMan is worth a watch. However, Prasanth Varma, despite his moments of conviction and finesses, doesn’t manage to blend all elements in a palatable manner.

Bottomline

If anything, HanuMan proves why superhero genre never took off in India - it takes a godly figure to outdo miracles that a masala film protagonist can pull off. Anything less will remain underwhelming and a mix of both can be overbearing.

Rating - 3/5 stars