Cast: Keerthy Suresh, Dulquer Salmaan, Samantha Akkineni, Vijay Deverakonda, Rajendra Prasad, Tanikella Bharani, Bhanupriya, Malavika Nar, Shalini Pandey, Tulasi, Divyavani
Cameo Apperances: Naga Chaitanya, Mohan Babu, Naresh, Krish, Prakash Raj, Rajendra Prasad, Srinivas Avasarala, Sandeep Reddy Vanga, Tharun Bhascker Dhaassyam, Sai Madhav Burra
Production: Swapna Cinema & Vyjayanthi Movies
Cinematography: Dani Sanchez-Lopez
Editor: Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao
Music: Mickey J Meyer
Screenplay: Siddhaarth Sivasamy
Dialogues: Sai Madhav Buraa
Producers: Swapna Dutt, Priyanka Dutt & Ashwini Dutt
Director: Nag Ashwin

Rating: 3.75/5

Very rarely it happens that more than entertainment, it is the connection we have with some people (actors and actresses) that drag us to the theaters. The much-awaited biopic of the legendary actress Savitri titled as MAHANATI hits the screens today. The connect that the South cine lovers, especially Telugu movie lovers have with Savitri is just unbelievable. This movie is a mirror of Savitri's real life. Read for the full review.

Story Line:

Some stories are to be experienced, rather than just putting them into words. Mahanati is all about an epic journey of an illustrious actress. From being a part of glory-filled cinema world, her personal life, love life to her downfall.

Rather than narrating the storyline, it would be a simple thing to say that Mahanati is the glorification of the rise and fall of a strong legendary woman, who as an actress sets the standards high for coming generations of Indian cinema. Apart from being an actress, Savitri lead a life which an average woman of that era wouldn't even dare to. This is a celebration of the strength of a lady.

Savitri's life as a whole circle is illustrated in Mahanati. The thorough research on Savitri and her life is Mahanati. It features almost every important part of her life from childhood to death. Savitri's impeccable journey from being a village girl in poverty to reaching a Shakespearean place in the movie industry and then falling for a person who is already married to her suicide attempt, then her downfall to her miserable death.

Strongly recommend that one must watch this movie to relive the glorious era amid the legends.

Roles and Performances:

Mahanati is what Keerthy Suresh will be remembered for days to come. Keerthy Suresh not only reprises the bright actress Savitri but also brings the realistic tang to that role. Keerthy is a mirror of Savitri in this biopic. Her being similar to Mahanati Savitri ushers the role. Keerthy lives an epic life of Savitri. Seems she has put her heart into the role. 

Dulquer Salmaan steals the hearts. His flair and knack for acting will be remembered forever. Dulquer Salmaan's performance as Gemini Ganeshan is surreal.

Samantha Akkineni as Madhuravani will be one of the most loved roles. Samantha's fascination with acting is visible on the screen.

Vijay Deverakonda's role as Vijay Antony is limited but will steal the hearts for sure. The rest of the actors Prakash Raj as Chakrapani, Mohan Babu as SV Ranga Rao, Shalini Pandey as Susheela, Avasarala Srinivas as LV Prasad etc lived up to expectations. These actors just re-lived in an era of the magnificence of Telugu cinema.

Special Mention: Naga Chaitanya's surprise appearance as Akkineni Nageswar Rao is pure pleasure. He looks very much like his grandfather from 'Moogamanasulu'.

Analysis:

Mahanati is to be one of the best movies to watch this season. Late veteran actress Savitri's life story is narrated in a realistic approach. A well-carpented screenplay and an array of plausibly brilliant characters is what Mahanati is made of. The fuel of the story is the factual narration.

The first half portrays the rise of an exceptional actress and her magnetic force of acting. The projection of the story propagates into the personal life of this bright actress Savitri. How she falls for Gemini Ganeshan and gets married to him. The narration is appealing and keep the audience emotionally connected.

Towards the second half, the director projects the slow downfall of this actress and everything becomes shady. The emotional connect remains the same though. Despite the fact that the narration decelerates a tad, the audience is in the world of an actress who seems eerily lost. The heart-touching ending will definitely leave the viewer emotional to the core.

Technical Aspects:

A bow to Vyjayanthi Movies for having attempted an epic movie like this. The production values are too good. Priyanka Dutt and Swapna Dutt- the producers are to be appreciated.
Coming to the director Nag Ashwin, he lives up to the expectations. Nag Ashwin's take over the real life of the evergreen heroine of Telugu cinema is just flawless. He deserves to be praised for the very thought of attempting the factual story of Savitri.

Music by Mickey J Meyer is very appealing. Emotional scenes are so much in sync with the BGM. The cinematography is just fizzy and the camera work is too good.
A special mention to the costume designers and the people who worked on the sets and locations of Mahanati. A retro backdrop is finely portrayed in every scene.

Final Verdict:
Mahanati is for ages. This will be an unsurpassed biopic. A tribute to an actress like Savitri could not get better. A must watch movie for all.

Priyanka Kanoj