Mahesh Babu is ready with his latest potboiler, Bharat Ane Nenu. The political drama has the handsome actor play the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, who wants to do good for the people in his state. After the unexpected disappointment of his last movie, the much-hyped SPYder, Mahesh Babu has pinned his hopes on this movie, which has got some tremendous response from its trailers and songs.

Bharat Ane Nenu is directed by Koratala Siva, who has directed back to back blockbusters in his career starting with Mirchi, Srimanthudu and Janatha Garage. After Srimanthudu, Siva is working with Mahesh Babu once again with Bharat Ane Nenu. Kiara Advani is the female lead, while R Sarathkumar, Prakash Raj, Sithara and Rao Ramesh are seen in important roles.

The movie has released this week to mixed reviews. Most of the critics have praised Mahesh Babu's performance, but are of the opinion that the plot offers nothing new. Check out some of the excerpts of the reviews here -

Indian Express says, "Mahesh Babu plays his character Bharat with ease and makes it interesting by adding his own element to it. Kiara Advani gets to appear in an unrewarding role as Bharat’s love interest’s Vasumathi. And the rest of the characters are hardly given an opportunity to make a mark."

Times of India says, "Mahesh Babu declared that this was his best ever performance. And while the jury is still out on that, he most certainly has delivered a performance his ever growing fan base would enjoy watching on-screen. Devi Sri Prasad's music and background score elevates this movie and Mahesh's performance. Kiara Advani doesn't have much to offer, while Prakash Raj is terrific as the manipulative politician."

Scroll says, "Bharat Ane Nenu is a typical middle-class fantasy in the vein of Shankar’s Mudhalvan (1999) about a principled and incorruptible outsider who weeds out corruption and fixes a broken system. The 173-minute film plays out like a brochure for Bharat’s greatness, is highly repetitive and has very few surprises."

The Hindu says, "Bharat Ane Nenu deserves a thumbs up for its well thought out plot and nuanced characters. Keeping us hooked to the narrative are Mahesh Babu, accompanied by Prakash Raj in another winsome and complex role, Rahul Ramakrishna, Rao Ramesh, Brahmaji and Kiara Advani among others. Kiara is impressive in her limited role and it will be interesting to see her in more substantial parts."

Have you seen Bharat Ane Nenu? Do you agree with the views shared above?

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 20, 2018 07:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).