Hari Hara Veera: A Mighty Plan that was ruined with incompetent Execution and Indirect Narrative storytelling.
When a movie featuring a super icon like Pawan Kalyan is announced, the expectation would naturally rise. When the said film purports to be a fusion of folklore, historical fantasy, and action, combined with an interesting yarn of a heist of a legendary diamond, Koh-i-Noor, you anticipate a movie extravaganza. Hari Hara Veera Mallu alas is a film that fails on most levels, though it has a brilliant premise/story and is an epic movie.
With the initial directorship of Krish Jagarlamudi and subsequent completion by AM Jyothi Krishna, Hari Hara Veera Mallu tries to narrate a fictional folk tale of Veera Mallu, the 17th-century Indian equivalent of Robin Hood. He takes a risky trip to bring back the authentic Koh-i-noor diamond, which has fallen into the hands of brutal Mughal ruler Aurangzeb. The movie was being conceived as an up-stakes historical action-adventure of solid socio-political overtones. But instead, what viewers were presented with was a wandering, lost, and visually lifeless film that does not do what it should be appreciated.
Hari Hara Veera: A Comic Book-Inspired Epic Idea
At its core, Hari Hara Veera Mallu is the DNA of an exhilarating superhero. Veera Mallu, the actor played by Pawan Kalyan, is a courageous, defiant character, the representative of the opposition against the tyranny. Being sent to steal the Koh-i-Noor, stolen by Golconda, and brought to the Red Fort in Delhi, there is a lot at stake between Veera Mallu and the diamond as far as both the emotional and historical elements are concerned.
Superficially, a good production: a right-on-the-one-hand, right-on-the-other-hand set-up right on the one hand, a vicious emperor on the other hand, a background of the British colonial empire at the expense of the social oppressor, and a battle of traditions. Throw in some Telugu swashbuckling glamour, and it just appears that there is a very delicious cinematic meal in the making.
Somehow, something goes haywire somewhere between the concept and the cutting.
Hari Hara Veera: Lost in Translation: A Tale
It has been a known fact that the most striking weakness of Hari Hara Veera Mallu is its fragmented narration. The movie has difficulty in establishing a tone. Starting as a good representation of oppressed working people and broaching some deeper social themes, the movie soon turns into some superficial comic scenes, showcased in an unrealistic and emotionally deprived way.
The screenplay is in constant up-and-down motion between melodrama and hollow spectacle, and it never hits a rhythm.
The themes of religious conflict, colonial exploitation, and heroism are also unsuccessfully tried to be represented in the film, although without room to explore anything deeper than just scratching the surface. It has its weak spots, with some points that can be classified as propaganda, when some broad and stereotype-wise strokes are painted on some given religious groups.
Even though the unification between the Hindus and Muslims is made near the end in some kind of a last effort, the harm is already there. It turns out to be a divisive and confusing story rather than an empowering one.
Direction Trapped- Two Minds
The replacement of the director is one of the biggest losses of Hari Hara Veera Mallu. Krish Jagarlamudi has a vision of making period dramas such as Gautamiputra Satakarni, and when he started working on this film, the direction of his creativity was obvious. However, due to delays in production and logistical problems, AM Jyothi Krishna came to the rescue to complete the film. The direction shift is appalling. Scenes are discontinuous, and the narration is incoherent, like two films are stapled together.
The narrative does not flow smoothly, and this incoherence extends to all aspects, including the acting and the looks.
Below-average Performances and Aesthetics
The fact that Pawan Kalyan has returned to the big screen is an occasion that is supposed to be celebrated. Unfortunately, not even his presence is able to help the film. This seems a strange lack of interest in a man who was known to be charismatic and playing big roles. He is dull, lethargic, and cannot move the audience on an emotional note. It seems that he is only going through the motions and is not too committed to the character he is acting.
Even the characters in the supporting crew, such as the respected names in the acting fraternity like Sathyaraj, Nasser, Sachin Khedekar, and Bobby Deol as Aurangzeb, are equally ruined due to the lack of character development and unenthusiastic dialogues. Even Bobby Deol, who plays a threatening character, just like he did in Animal, is turned into a one-dimensional cartoonish figure.
The role of Nidhi Agerwal is also half-baked; this leaves the actress with nothing much to do other than add decoration to the already loaded script.
The graphical elements of the movie are probably the greatest failure of the movie. The list contains names like Gnana Shekar VS and Manoj Paramahamsa doing the cinematography, and this raised the expectations. However, the visuals offered by the film are as much like a theme-park ride as they are a period drama. Its production design is uneven, costumes seem not authentic, and special effects, in particular, are excruciatingly bad in the case of action scenes, in a movie of this size and expense.
The Film is making an Effort, and the Music Tries to rescue it
There is some musical credibility on the table with the legendary MM Keeravani, who comes amid the fame of RRR. He has a couple of bright moments and tries to lift some scenes, but he is not able to bring life into a movie that is just too hollow. The musical score is inappropriately placed at some point, and the songs do not even stay in the mind, failing to move the heart.
A Misguided Epic Which Might Have Become Classic
The most tragic thing about Hari Hara Veera Mallu is not that it fails, but that it wastes a promising potential on so gigantic a scale. This might have been a groundbreaking Telugu epic- one that united legend and history, drama and action, and spectacle and soul. Rather, it turns out to be a test of patience lasting 163 minutes.
The movie could have been more stylised, more comic book, even animated, and done much better. A mythical folk hero such as Veera Mallu would have been relevant and popular among the younger generation had it been presented in a comprehensible and artistically beautiful manner. Not to bang down nails on the head, but, unfortunately, the creators bent to the more grandiose option, without that basis, which could appear both too direct and without direction.
In summary, Final Verdict is a missed opportunity presented in a spectacle.
Hari Hara Veera Mallu portrays a typical example of ambition that went wrong. The movie had an interesting hero, a legend of an actor in an era, and a great background as far as the history of India was concerned, and with these weapons in hand, the movie could have been a benchmark in Indian films. Rather, it turns into a misfire, long, loud, and lost.
This film may tire you up rather than entertain you unless you are a die-hard fan of Pawan Kalyan. The potential epic film experience turns into a lesson that when the focus is placed on a spectacle rather than a story, the latter inevitably suffers.
Final Rating: 2/ 5 stars
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