259. Maharshi; movie review

MAHARSHI
Cert 12A
176 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence

Another week and another Indian movie hero who somehow has the superhuman ability to fight 20 thugs at the same time.
There is nothing in his background to suggest that Mahesh Babu's Rishi Kumar is a prizefighter but he takes on mini armies who are wielding knives and scythes.
Oh, and he is also the cleverest man in the country and a lovely bloke to boot.
Vamsi Paidipally's film is actually pretty engaging. I liked the tale of the Telugu boy who rises from a poor background to become head of one of the biggest companies in the world.
Babu is a pretty boy lead - not a hair out of place as he heads a tech giant and then plays back his university successes, before returning to India to fight corruption.
His easygoing smile wins over the dazzling Pooja (Pooja Hegde) but theirs is far from an easy romance.
Maharshi begins with the announcement of the young CEO much to the surprise of Wall Street.
It spins back to his fight against adversity to reach the top, including a troubled family background and a tumultuous time at university.
In those early days, he makes enemies of the corrupt and this lays down a foundation for a fearsome locking of horns when he has reached the summit of his power.
But, of course, he doesn't get where he is without the help of others - notably his best friend at university (Allari Naresh) and his inspirational professor (Rao Ramesh).
And then there are the adversaries - and they don't come much more villainous than Jagapati Babu - the regular antagonist in Telugu movies.
Throughout, Rishi rides whichever wave looks like it is about to wipe him out.
And that is the problem with Maharshi - aside of the laughable fight scenes, the Rishi character is too good to be true, having the uncanny knack of turning selfish into selfless.
Nevertheless, I rather enjoyed Mahesh Babu's performance and was willing him on against what seem to be insurmountable odds.

Reasons to watch: An engaging hero tale
Reasons to avoid: Rishi is too good to be true

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Did you know? Mahesh Babu started his acting career at the age of four with the Telugu movie “Needa”.

The final word. Mahesh Babu: " If 'Srimanthudu' talked about the importance of adopting a village, 'Bharat Ane Nenu' spoke of the place of accountability in public life. In 'Maharshi', something unique has been talked about."

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