HanuMan Review: Teja Sajja Shines in This Partly Effective Superhero Film With a Middling Second Act (LatestLY Reviews)

HanuMan Movie Review: The best portions of HanuMan, Prasanth Varma's new film ruling the box office (at the time of posting this late review), are the beginning and the end. The beginning portion is a superhero origin story that is actually a sneaky supervillain genesis, which riffs on the genre. The ending, a bombastic setup for a sequel tailored to appease the devotionists, is a spectacular and ambitious crescendo aided by a rousing BG score, leaving me eager to know what's going to happen in the next chapter of Prasanth Varma's expanding cinematic universe. Alas, the middle stretch of this superhero saga presents a mixed bag of narrative elements. HanuMan Review: Netizens Feel Teja Sajja’s Film Is ‘Mind Blowing’, Call It One of the Best Depiction of ‘Anjaneyudu’.

Set in an alternate reality where Chiranjeevis (no, not the Telugu superstar) exist and are living among us, and India is Akhand Bharat (bhakts, rejoice!), HanuMan starts off by telling the story of Michael (Vinay Rai), who has been obsessed with comic-book superheroes since childhood and aims to be one, and as an adult, he even succeeds in being a vigilante, except his ambition turns him into a mean one (Homelander says hi!).

We are later transported to this fictional village called Anjanadri, where we meet Hanumanthu (Teja Sajja), a carefree fella who lives with his unmarried elder sister Anjamma (Varalaxmi Sarathkumar). He steals money from his sibling, does no job, and is also an ass to a monkey (voiced by Ravi Teja in the Telugu version) by stealing his mangoes.

While trying to save the life of Meenakshi (Amrita Aiyer), his childhood crush, Hanumanthu gets stabbed and pushed into the lake by dacoits. However, he is miraculously saved when he comes into possession of a magic stone hidden deep within that lake. As the stone possesses the spirit of Hanuman, Hanumanthu begins to display superhero powers like super-strength, fast healing, and other powers that suit the convenience of the screenplay and becomes a hero for his village. Hanumanthu's exploits, however, reach the eyes of Michael, who is determined to find the source of his power and use that to become more powerful.

Watch the Trailer of HanuMan:

While it is great for the makers that the audience is accepting this superhero film from Telugu cinema, there is a scene in HanuMan that kind of moots the existence of these films in the industry. When Hanumanthu shows off his powers to his unimpressed friend Kaasi (Getup Srinu), the latter reminds him the superhero feats he is performing have already been done by superstars in movies, be it Prabhas or Allu Arjun. It is definitely a fan-base-pleasing moment, but the scene also begs the question: why do we need superhero films when the reel heroes already perform nearly every superhero feat without the need of any godly blessings, be it making goons fly in the air or vanquishing an army without breaking a sweat?

Interestingly, I saw the Hindi-dubbed version of the film, and the same scene has them talking about a movie stunt where Rajinikanth stops a train with his finger while slapping his thigh when actually it was Nandamuri Balakrishna who pulled that feat in Palanati Brahmanaidu. Why give the wrong superstar credit, whoever dubbed this in Hindi? HanuMan's Distributor and Producer File Complaint With TFPC for Unethical Theatre Practices.

So, merely having the over-the-top stunts wouldn't have brought any novelty, yet what makes the fight scenes in HanuMan appealing is how Prasanth Varma adds the mythos tinge to these sequences with appropriate mass appeal. Teja Sajja may not look like the conventional action hero; he is far more convincing as the mischievous vagabond, but he does make the fight scenes look good on screen with his enthusiasm and body language, aided by some sly editing and camera work. Not to mention a stirring background score. Even the rivalry buildup between Hanumantu's rustic superhero and Michael's techno-dependent villain holds intrigue.

However, it is the portions in between where HanuMan doesn't carry enough appeal. There is a bit too much space given to the loud comedy bits, the romantic track is just about okay, and the brother-sister track treads the usual path, though it gives our desi Peter Parker his 'Aunt May' moment. Speaking of which, the influences from other films are discernible in HanuMan's visual treatment and narrative. For example, the magic stone works the same way as Dhoop in Koi Mil Gaya, where its powers inexplicably don't work when the sun is shrouded. Or how Teja Sajja's entry scene reminded me a lot of Hrithik Roshan's entry scene in Krrish (without the monkey business, of course). You can find out other visual cues from movies like Avengers: Infinity War (Thanos' hand?) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol II (the flying goons), among others.

But the influences aren't a problem; it is the dramatic and comic portions in the middle act and the ordinary writing in this act that hold the film back until the climactic fight and the aforementioned sequel setup tease. With films like Minnal Murali and Maaveran doing wonders when it comes to the Indian superhero genre with their writing and direction, HanuMan's struggle becomes evident when you remove the mythology aspect in its visual treatment. Credit where due, though, HanuMan does rip apart the idea of urbanisation carried out by corporations with hidden agendas, done in the name of social welfare.

Coming to the technical aspects, for a film replete with fantasy elements, the VFX is merely serviceable. I have to give it to Varma's commendable handling that the special effects don't really come off as too splashy or garish thanks to the limited budget, but in some portions, especially in the third act, the paucity of funds does show. With an ambitious sequel being planned to arrive in 2025 that features demon armies and dragons, I hope that the budget gets considerably raised the next time to pull off such a VFX-heavy endeavour.

Final Thoughts

Introducing a religious twist to the superhero origin story, HanuMan proves effective in parts of weaving a compelling narrative, with some smart direction and Sai Tejja's enjoyable performance. However, the film encounters a dip in momentum during its middle portions, marked by forced comedy and ordinary writing.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 16, 2024 07:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).