HanuMan a well made movie that brings to the fore some uncomfortable truths

Originally  posted on Facebook on 18th March 2024.

I watched the cleverly made Telugu movie "HanuMan". It is extremely well made. Viewers can identify with it, just like in typical Malayalam movies.  Like Malayalam movies, it relies heavily on a good story, tight screenplay, and no bombastic dialogues. It does not have hyped-up action, vulgar dialogues, a mandatory love track, item songs, or punch lines. 

Made on a shoestring budget of 30 crore rupees, HanuMan raked in over 300 crores. Some have even commented that it is the sleeper hit of the decade. Shot in natural locales with mostly unknown actors excluding Vennela Kishore, the movie stands out for its conviction and sincerity. What started as a Telugu movie became a pan-India movie. It created records even in overseas markets. 

The master stroke was to take a very slender and skinny hero (come to it, most Telugu heroes are skinny and not very muscular except hulks like Prabhas and Rana) and turn him into not a hero rather than a superhero. Most viewers smile and groan internally when a slender hero like Mahesh Babu smashes the baddies and creates havoc. We are told to believe that he is normal, just like any one of us. 

But HanuMan cleverly mixes mythology and fiction and creates a superhero who gets his power from who else, the mighty Hanuman. As he is shown being puny and getting trashed in the initial scenes, viewers love him when he pummels everyone with his superpowers. This clicked with the viewers. 

They could identify themselves with the hero. Can we identify ourselves with either Bala Krishna or Mahesh Babu? No way. The story is well told, and actually, there is hardly any story, but whatever the story, it is well presented. 

The monkey part was initially boring and perplexing, but the way the director gave the monkey a key part at the end was amazing. Ravi Teja's voice added naughtiness to the monkey's role. It was refreshing to see a real monkey and not a graphic animal that appears tacky and unnatural. 

The director seems to have a wicked sense of humor and sarcasm. His use of the "sacrificing star," Sunisith, was a coupe-de-etat or a master stroke. The songs and the special effects added to the drama unfolding on the big screen. 

HanuMan movie is a telling example of treasures that are hidden in Indian mythology. It is a pity that we are looking yearningly westward at the Marvel world. Yet we have not discovered our own superheroes.  Arjuna, Beema, Krishna, Rama, Hanuman, and Bheeshma—our epics are full of gods who are ten times more powerful than any Western superheroes. 

I wish directors like Prasanth Verma and Rajmouli came out with movies based on our own "Indian Super Heroes".  An earnest appeal: let them make these movies quickly. I can't really wait for five years for one movie from Rajamouli.

HanuMan is also a wake-up call for the rest of the Telugu movie directors and actors. They need to come out of their pretensions and make movies that impact the viewers positively.  With the onslaught of OTT, viewers can easily see the best of the movies, and undoubtedly, Malayalam movies are the best, followed closely by Tamil and Kannada movies. 

Telugu movies? The less said, the better. Two movies stand out: Balagam and HanuMan. The rest,  Garbage in and Garbage out!!