In short, it is a film that should only be watched in the theatres; with powerful and enchanting music, ingratiating performances, and powerful characters. HanuMan directed by Prasanth Varma is a treat to the eye. It is a well-written story with elaborate character development.
Cast:
Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Teja Sajja, Amritha Aiyer, Vinay Rai, Vennala Kishore, Deepak Shetty, Getup Srinu, Satya, Samuthirakani, Rohini, Koti’s voice-over by Mass Maharaja Ravi Teja, Koushik Mahata, Bhanu Prakash, followed by several talented artists.
Story:
HanuMan is a sketch of a village brat, Hanumanthu(Teja Sajja), with a loving sister (Anjamma- Varalaxmi Sarathkumar) and a loyal friend.(Kaasi-Boddupalli Srinu) Hanumanthu wanders around the village stealing and robbing people, since a child who, while robbing something, gets his heart robbed by Meenakshi(Amritha Aiyer). He sets on an adventure as he falls in love with her. Unlike what Teja Sajja claimed in one of the interviews, “Originally I cannot do romance on the greater scale, and Prashanth Garu is also not a big fan of directing romance.” (in an interview with Tasty Teja) is a tender love story of Hanumanthu who has had a huge crush on Meenakshi since childhood. Who, when in love, can go to any extent to protect his ladylove and his beloved. On the other hand, Michael, the antagonist of the film has a backstory, which exhibits why he turned the way he is.
Themes:
The film doesn’t touch upon sensitive themes and encompasses significant emotions and feelings like faith, love, family, friendship, life, greed, and selflessness.
Other major themes:
Character Names: One of the most beautiful portrayals of the film is Varalaxmi Sarathkumar’s character sketch. Hanumanthu’s only family is Anjamma. The character played by Varalaxmi Sarathkumar named Anjamma has an essential significance, which will be unveiled while watching the entire folk and soft rock song Avakaaya Anjineyya, symbolizing Anjamma’s love and affection for Hanumanthu to that of a mother. According to the mythological aspects, Anjana Devi, mother of God Hanuman, is also called Anjamma in a few regions of India, implying Anjamma plays a motherly figure in Hanumanthu’s life.
Foe and Friend: Hanumanthu also shares a foe and friendly relationship with many characters, which is also a fun segment to explore, one being with Koti the monkey is excellent. Hanumanthu’s sweet and sour relationship with Koti and with many main characters will be thrilling to watch.
Mythology: According to the director, they touched upon a tiny mythological aspect as he wanted GenZ and the current generation to instill the fascination for a few stories of the Hindu gods; if limited to that reason, then yes, it justifies the mythology aspect.
Nativity: The exhibition of Telugu nativity is commendable; the fight and action sequences encompass native Andhra and Telugian fights to an extent, and sarcasm is spoken by almost every Telugu tongue, which is aptly put. Humor is nice.
Thoughts on HanuMan:
Starting with the positive and new or existing elements reintroduced in the film:
- If you are a Butterfly fan, you will see Nabi for sure. (Nabi is a Korean reference to suggest feeling butterflies in the stomach).
- The Pattilu scene (Anklet scene) and the significance of that ornament are slight details worth exploring.
- Hari Gowra’s upbeat BGM is enchanting.
- There are a lot more sequences that make the film worth the watch, whether it is the suspense about Megastar’s entry or VFX(not revealing because they could be potential spoilers)
- It is an emotionally fulfilling film; there is no prolonged drama, just enjoyable drama so far.
- The chemistry between Hanumanthu and Meenakshi is admirable.
- Female characters, as promised, were not put just for the sake; they are powerful, sassy, and daring.
- Teja Sajja’s comedy timing is remarkable.
- Vinay Rai, Boddupalli Srinu, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Amritha Aiyer, Vennala Kishore, Satya, and Satya’s foe in the film were true to their craft.
What could have been better?
- An action punch sequence appears to have been inspired from the film Attarintiki Daariedi.
- The recent meme references in films are reintroduced through the film once again; it is nice, but the ones who have already viewed it in various previous films could find it off.
- VFX could be more promising, but emotions and a few visuals were just a treat to the eyes.
- Rohini’s character and screen space was very limited
Is HanuMan a theatrical watch or not?
It’s a Superhero film. As GenZ says, “He is not a green flag. He is an entire forest.” the male lead is worth empathizing with, and the female leads are worth taking inspiration from. The film is ” I Watched for the Hero but Fell for the Red Flag.” Vinay Rai’s performance and entries were exemplarily well sketched and exhibited. Moreover, as previously suggested there was no such character that was given less importance. The incredible visuals can be well-enjoyed in only the theatres.
Update:
HanuMan’s sequel is expected to hit the theatres in 2025, Jai Hanuman is reportedly going to be about Lord Hanuman and what word he has given to Lord Sri Ram.