What more can superhero films tell and do that hasn’t been told and done already? Have we not seen enough of them? Conventional, comic book superheroes aside, we do have our own larger-than-life male leads in films who are no less than superheroes. They can send men flying with a mere kick. Beat them to pulp. Mobilise villages, radicalise cities, and be the voice of the unsung and downtrodden. Humans by birth, anointed superheroes by a logic-defying screenplay committed to awe-inspiring greatness. Then there are the superheroes from the annals of our mythology. Stories of greatness that shape a civilization’s cultural DNA. Source of courage and contention. Different kinds of heroes, but heroes nonetheless. The promise of Hanu Man, Prasanth Varma’s latest film starring Teja Sajja, lies in combining these three shades of superhero into one. The success of Hanu Man is a result of that promise being fulfilled to its desired ends, with the help of competent writing and performances. The film is a heartfelt, homegrown tale that gets its basics right. And in a film of this nature, getting the basics right is everything.
Director – Prasanth Varma
Cast – Teja Sajja, Amritha Aiyer, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Vinay Rai, Vennela Kishore, Getup Srinu, Satya, Samuthirakani
Before we even meet the protagonist, we are introduced to the film’s antagonist. In a brief origin story that reminds one of The Incredibles (2004), we see a person tap into his inner villainy from his sheer desire to be a superhero. In a handful of scenes, we see a positive, wholesome story turn upside down. And then we are introduced to Anjanadri, a fictitious town inspired by the mythical land of Anjanadri, the birthplace of the deity Hanuman. The myth precedes the story’s events, eventually hovering over the story with an omniscient shadow. We are introduced to Hanumanthu (Teja Sajja) as a common rogue, a village pest, and the proverbial butt of all jokes. To an average member of the audience, having a relatively new actor like Teja Sajja play a superhero might feel like a misstep. Maybe one would attribute Teja’s casting to his previous collaboration with director Prasanth Varma (they have worked together in 2021’s Zombie Reddy). The film’s modest budget could be another reason why Teja (as opposed to a bigger star) was cast. But these doubts are slowly pushed away as the film unfolds.
Big-ticket heroes imbue larger-than-life roles with their own quirks and characteristics. This is both a benefit and a burden to the film unto itself. Not to mention the fact that a hero with massive stardom may not effectively play an underdog. Prasanth Varma’s Hanumanthu is not a chosen one from the get-go. There are no signs of his greatness lingering before they make a splashy reveal. Despite the highlights of his heroism presented to the audience in the film’s teaser and trailer, the film makes you wait. The film makes you earn those highs by sustaining your curiosity with a series of conflicts. Remember how we watch a sports film with all the biting anxiety despite knowing the team we see throughout the film is eventually going to win? Hanumanthu’s trajectory can be explained with this analogy.
Somewhere down the line, Telugu cinema heroes have been on the receiving end of badly written screenplays that give them their wins all too soon, without realising the enduring value of delayed gratification. Hanu Man is a refreshing departure from this thankless pattern, reminding viewers that even a superhero has got to sing for his own supper. Teja Sajja makes Hanumanthu a charming character worth rooting for, an underdog in the true sense of the world.
Hanumanthu gets his superpowers of extreme physical strength from a holy pearl borne out of a drop of Hanuman’s blood. The powers, however, are not without a hitch. Two kinds of enemies pose a threat to Anjanadri’s well-being. An enemy’s enemy is a friend, and Hanu Man proves that adage right, just not with the parties you expect would eventually collide. There is also ample comedy, from characters played by Vennela Kishore, Getup Srinu and Satya. The placement of the comedy feels slightly tricky at first, given that this is a superhero film, but the doubts settle when the comedy portions are effective.
There is one scene in Hanu Man, where Hanumanthu is seen mimicking actors across contemporary Telugu cinema to prove his superhero prowess. Just when you roll your eyes at the film’s writers opting for some low-effort jokes, a gag involving Balakrishna turns into a surprisingly effective plot point. Though Michael (Vinay Rai) crossing paths with Hanumanthu is inevitable, the story manages to pull up enough tricks (and troughs) to keep the viewer engrossed. A surprisingly sentimental angle involving Hanumanthu’s older sister (a strong Varalaxmi Sarathkumar) gives Hanu Man’s second half a lot of depth. The film’s mythological inspirations are not too deep, just accessible enough for viewers of all kinds.
For a film earmarked as the beginning of the Prasanth Varma Cinematic Universe (PVCU), Hanu Man in itself does not cheat its audience with an incomplete story in the name of worldbuilding. In fact, the lack of a strong cliffhanger is an enduring relief, something every franchise-in-the-making can learn from. The makers of the film also deserve due credit for staying rooted to the conventions of Telugu cinema. The two songs here, a romantic number and a rousing anthem sung by grandmothers pickling mangoes, are all heart. The film’s direction in itself craftily takes its cues from the Rajamouli school of filmmaking, without coming off as a wannabe or a fake. A handful of shortcomings prevent the film from becoming truly great, though they don’t hinder the viewing experience.
The film’s VFX, though far better than what we have witnessed in recent times, is used to spoon-feed certain details. The X-Ray cartilage of people being beaten or a luminescent outline of Hanuman, for instance, could have been avoided. Considering how the film manages to satisfy on most fronts, one is inclined to be charitable towards these shortcomings in the hope that these points will be noted to better the next instalments of Prasanth Varma’s homegrown franchise or filmography in general. For now, much like its underdog protagonist, Hanu Man shines through as not just an also-ran in the Sankranthi race but a solid frontrunner.
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