Koratala Siva and Mahesh Babu’s are coming together again in ‘Bharat Ane Nenu’ after their successful “Srimanthudu”. The welcome reception of Srimanthudu has given the director Koratala Siva a lot of confidence in taking on a more social conscious storyline. Mahesh Babu’s total trust and faith in the script is evident.

Strengths

Mahesh Babu pulls off the role of a Chief Minister in a very convincing manner. His presence definitely lends the gravitas to the difficult role. It may seem that the movie dwells more on Mahesh Babu’s unique trademark including his running style, dialogue delivery while facing away from the camera and his majestic gait. The director has successfully exploited Mahesh Babu’s signature strengths and used it as his safety net in order to push forward the social agenda of the script. Mahesh Babu does a good job in portraying the character of an Oxford educated guy with 5 college degrees to his credit, longing for parental love and the genuine angst and frustrations when seeing the corrupt Indian system.

Director Koratala Siva has guts to not only blame the government, beaurocrats and media but also the common people who loves to be fed by media on inconsequential matters and how people take good leaders for granted. Despite the director’s good intentions, his commitment to his script is uneven and wanes in the second half and towards the end. The movie starts at a leisurely pace in narrating the situation and complication in a linear screenplay with occasional flash cuts. It takes the full first half to establish the antagonist, Prakash Raj, and his intentions.

The basic crux of the movie of the protagonist becoming the Chief Minister, against his will or intent, is nothing new to Telugu audience. What is different this time in “Bharath Ane Nenu” is takes an inside-out view and more of an introspective view of the hero’s mindset.

The director’s vision is well supported by excellent camera work by accomplished cameramen, Tirru and Ravi K Chandran. Devi Sri Prasad has understood the director’s vision and has done an excellent job in pacing the background music accordingly. The art work and costume design fit the commercial needs, especially in songs.

The director did keep the romance portion with Kiara Advani quite minimal and still effective. The chemistry between Mahesh Babu and Kiara is delightful and woven in to the storyline quite well.

Weaknesses

The movie’s primary strength and weakness may be the same depending on the target audience. The fact that the director has taken a detailed view in to the issues and governance should be applauded. However, certain sections of the audience may consider the same as a negative and blame the movie for being too preachy, predictable and slow.

The secondary point could also be called a strength or weakness depending on the perspective. The second half becomes more action oriented with scenes showing CM beating up multiple dozens of goons, single-handedly and dancing with hundreds of villagers and dancing with the love interest in dream portions. The songs are sprinkled at regular intervals may be considered as welcome relief by some while other critics may feel as being constant distractions.

In the second half, some of the scenes may invoke the déjà vu feeling. The constant flipping of the central issue and predictable depiction of the villain and challenge could zone out the viewers.

Final Word

Bharath Ane Nenu is worth-watching for its genuine attempt in appealing for better government and social change. Mahesh Babu’s stylish presence and excellent acting help take the message in a commercial canvas. Bharath Ane Nenu has some moments that will make you yearn for a leader like Mahesh Babu that you witness on the big screen.

Rating – 3 out of 5

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