‘HanuMan’ movie review: This homegrown superhero film is largely a fun ride

Director: Prasanth Varma

Cast: Teja Sajja, Amritha Aiyer, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Vinay Rai

HanuMan Movie: Story

Set in the fictional village of Anjanadri, this is a story about how an ordinary pick-pocket from the village Hanumanta (Teja Sajja) gets the superpower of Lord Hanuman to fight against the injustice done by the dictatorship of the classists. It starts with the villain Michael’s backstory, who, like many of us as a kid, believed in the superpowers and tried to be a superhero doing some crazy things.

The only difference between us & him is he goes a little too far to kill his parents because Spider-Man and Batman turned superheroes only after losing their parents. His psychotic journey of being a superhero turns him into a supervillain & how he crosses paths with Hanumanta is what the story is all about.

HanuMan Movie: Script Analysis

Let’s start with clarifying the biggest doubt many would have about the Film. For those saying it’s a 25-crore budgeted film, nope, it’s not because it went up to match the director’s vision, and the film is said to be made at a 55-60 crore budget. Even at that cost, this film is the most stunning-looking mid-budget film ever in the history of Indian cinemas. This happens when a team of people sticks together, injecting their creative input at every stage with an equal amount of passion & love for cinema.

Dasaradhi Sivendra’s cinematography serves exactly what is required to fulfill Prasanth Varma’s unparalleled vision. Scenes like Teja Sajja’s Hanumanta standing tall in front of a flame-lit structure of Lord Rama, backed by a magnificent hill sculpture of Lord Hanuman, prove how you can achieve anything with the right imagination.

Yes, there are flaws as the story to build up the visuals has just started & a lot is kept undercover for the sequel. So, this takes its own time to lay the base for Hanumanta as it’s the climax in which he fully understands the depth of his powers.

The comedy falls flat in places but gets full marks for keeping it clean. Also, the love angle adds to the duration without giving anything to connect with properly. The helicopter scene in the VFX looks out of place & the hyper-running visuals lack the finesse.

HanuMan Movie: Star Performance

You would, of course, imagine someone bulked up to be able to play a superhero possessing the superpowers of Lord Hanuman & that’s where the maker’s masterstroke, Teja Sajja, comes into play. Much like Abhimanyu Dassani in Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota & Tovino Thomas in Minnal Murali, Teja Sajja is not your typical superhero who would flaunt his physique to eliminate the goons.

He’s more relatable, an ordinary person who enjoys the superpowers, and that’s how his character is written. That is an advantage for Teja as he nails the role, barring a few action choreography hiccups.

Amritha Aiyer’s track felt unnecessary, but she did the job well to avoid being uninteresting. Playing Hanumanta’s sister, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar deserved more screen space, being the sole bridge to the emotional connection with the lead.

She delivers a thunderous performance. Vinay Rai’s villain is wasted after a good set-up; I hope the sequel gives us a better baddie to balance things. Satya & Getup Srinu scored high to attract tremendous laughs, while Vennela Kishore’s character needed better writing.

HanuMan Movie: Direction, Music

Prasanth Varma, take a bow! It’s not only about achieving everything on a restricted budget; it’s also about fighting your way in the industry ruled by the super/mega/rebel/action ‘stars.’

The way this man has been pretty chill with the screens/shows his film got down south only comes from the confidence he had in his content. This could be a Spider-Man moment for the Indian superhero genre & while the US slips deep into the superhero fatigue, Prasanth might’ve just started the journey of superhero films in the country.

Anudeep Dev, GowraHari & Krishna Saurabh’s songs won’t blow your mind apart from the Hanuman Chalisa track towards the end. But the background score pumps up some scenes so high that you’d want to hoot for Lord Hanuman.

HanuMan Movie: Conclusion

All said and done; if you would give Prasanth Varma a 600-crore budget like Adipurush, he could give back visuals never seen, never imagined by the Indian film industry. Preserve this man’s vision, as it could elevate our industry to another level.