Mahanati (A great actress) is an entertaining, balanced Telugu biopic on popular 1950’s-1960’s Telugu-Tamil film actress Savitri (Keerthy Suresh).
Director and screenplay writer Nag Ashwin brings a well-researched story to life with great sensitivity. This is a panoramic, gripping view of the many roles, shades of Savitri, as her life comes full circle in a span of four decades.
A well-etched, layered, parallel screenplay masterstroke about a subdued, submissive shy journalist Madhuravani (Samantha Akkineni) determined to tell the world about a comatose Savitri while gathering courage to live an independent life, keeps the film unpredictable and fresh.
Regional Indian cinema and Savitri: The makers have painstakingly recreated the bygone era, and how they have redesigned the costumes, looks, expressions and spirit of Savitri. It is hard to believe that this is Nag Ashwin’s second full-length feature movie. It is not often that a new director even attempts to make a big-budget period biopic. Never in the three-hour movie do the proceedings stall.
Prakash Raj does a nice little cameo as a producer. It was lovely to watch Naga Chaitanya play his grandfather, the legendary Akkineni Nageswara Rao – Not a thing that happens often in the movies. The songs are nicely shot, with an endearing use of montage. Nag Ashwin did mention in interviews that he wanted to shoot more songs of Savitri, but that would have extended the running time of an already three-hour movie.
It is not easy to make a period movie on an almost forgotten actress, and keep the audiences engaged for over three hours. Nag Ashwin and Keerthy Suresh more than acheive that. Depicting Savitri’s childhood and teenage years is another beautiful turn, these are parts that could have easily gone wrong.
Even the handling of an extramaritial affair is gently done, never going overboard or dramatic, or judgemental. This is a rare achievement in screenplay and execution.
The stardom cycleÂ
From lovingly depicting Savitri’s childhood, her yearning for a father-figure, film debut at age 15, sparkling talent, controversial love life and marriage to the already married Tamil actor Gemini Ganesan (Dulquer Salman), her stubbornness and naivety, Mahanati is crafted with sweeping strokes of drama and pleasant good-natured humour.
Back in time
The makers lovingly recreate several movie songs and famous scenes featuring the late actress. The near three-hour length is never tiring – there’s ample compelling content to justify the running time.
Telugu and Tamil film lovers will readily identify with depictions of Savitri’s legendary acting contemporaries like NT Rama Rao, Nageshwara Rao and others.
The celebratory evocation of the stars, aura and the movie magic of the bygone era is probably director Nag Ashwin’s biggest achievement. The cameos are skillfully wrapped around the story.
Art direction is exemplary, transporting us a long forgotten world. Music, cinematography and costumes are other impressive standout elements.
Superb performances
Mahanati is graced with a smooth flow, sincere, joyfully funny, matter-of-fact writing, laced with superb performances by Keerthy Suresh, Dulquer Salman, Samantha Akkineni and that endearing, gifted actor, Rajendra Prasad. This is easily Keerthy Suresh’s role of a lifetime. Suresh is stunning, considering that her filmography usually has her as the mandatory heroine. Dulquer Salman, doing his first Telugu movie, dubs for himself and gives a nice, quality performance.Â
Chain reactionÂ
The film’s monster success has spawned a biopic flood down south and in Hindi cinema too. These movies are mostly partisan, hero-worshiping, with decorated, made up ‘can-do-no-wrong’ personas.
Mahanati stands tall among these regressive biopic ruins.
An intense, fluent film, easily among 2018’s best Indian movies, watch Mahanati for constant, sincere, grounded entertainment.
