Mahanati - Movie Review

When we talk of some of the greatest names in the film fraternity, there are a lot of examples of them being victims of alcohol abuse and depression. From Silk Smitha to Guru Dutt, there have been many illustrious names which have suffered the side-effects of glitz and glamour. Savitri, known as Mahanati and Nadigaiyar Thilagam, was one such ill-fated actress who scaled the heights of super stardom, but her crumbling married life led her into a life of financial problems and alcoholism. Mahanati, directed by Nag Ashwin, starring Keerthy Suresh, Dulquer Salmaan and Samantha Akkineni, is an ode to actress Savitri and gives us an insight into her life.

The movie opens in the 1970s, when actress Savitri slipped into Coma, as a result of her alcohol addiction. A rookie newspaper reporter, Madhuravani (played by Samantha Akkineni) and a photographer, Vijay Anthony (played by Vijay Devarakonda) begin their probe into the life of Savitri to uncover the skeletons in her closet. Now in the abys of her personal and professional career, Savitri in a vegetative state hardly has any visitors. Through the people who knew her over the years, based on radio recordings and news archives, Madhuravani narrates the story of her life – a bubbly girl from Vijaywada, being introduced to the world of movies by her uncle (played by Rajendra Prasad) at the tender age of 14. She befriends a fellow male actor, Gemini Ganesan (played by Dulquer Salmaan) and soon falls in love with him. An already married Ganesan convinces Savitri of the sincerity in his love and marries her. Much against the wishes of her family and well-wishers, Savitri moves in with Ganesan and continues with her golden run at the box-office. She is the undisputed queen of the Telugu and Tamil film industries, starring opposite all the major film stars. Savitri’s super stardom coupled with the failure of his own movies hurt Ganesan’s ego and he dips himself into alcohol. A distraught Savitri tries her best to massage the fragile ego of her husband, even offering to quit acting all together. But the inevitable was waiting to happen – her personal life begins to fall and her addiction to alcohol make her vulnerable to being cheated, leading to her downfall.

The movie works majorly because the actors and the technicians deliver an impact on the audience. It is a daunting task to encapsulate an entire lifetime of a person in a three-hour run time. The screenplay by Siddhaarth Sivasamy deserves to be applauded. The movie goes back and forth in time, and showcases all the major milestones in Savitri’s life. Her character is molded well right from her childhood till her death. Also, a special mention to the Director of Photography, Dani Sanchez-Lopez, for alternating between sepia, vintage and current scheme of colors. And finally, the music by Mickey J Meyer, is beautiful and punctuates the story well.  

As for the performances, the movie boasts of a rich gamut of stars– some in a pivotal role while others in a cameo. Samantha Akkineni as the narrator has a relatively small, yet meaty role. She acts extremely well within the scope of her character. Vijay Devarakonda, as the photographer with his heart set on Madhuravani, has a small part as the unintentionally funny colleague of hers. Dulquer Salmaan uses his raw attractiveness to his advantage. His graph as an actor goes from being a chivalrous man to a jealous husband, and he plays it with equal aplomb. The rest of the cast also delivers an honest performance, especially Rajendra Prasad. But it is the captain of the ship, Nag Ashwin and his leading lady, Keerthy Suresh, who deserve all the applause and accolades. The director’s brilliance is at display in his way of story-telling and the ease with which he takes us back in time. Keerthy Suresh in the titular role is fantastic as Mahanati Savitri. Blessed with an equally expressive face as Savitri, Keerthy gets the most well-written character in the movie and digs her teeth deep into it. From a mischievous 14-year old who idolizes ANR, to a young girl madly in love with a much-married man, to a delusional superstar at the brink of her crumbling life – she is brilliant!! Her acting prowess clubbed with her beauty make her a treat to watch. In certain scenes, especially the one after her weight gain, she is a spitting image of Savitri herself!

While the movie leaves you with a heavy heart and lump in the throat, it is a movie that is deserved to be watched. If nothing else, watch it for the fine performances and a great cinematic experience.

My Rating – 4/5

P.S: On the flipside - The length and the off-track subplot between Madhuravani and Vijay Anthony seemed not to be helping much with the main track.