Something That Made Me Happy

Today, something made me really happy.

To be more particular, an experience gave me such an overwhelming feeling of happiness.

What was that?

To give you all a clue,

That event was happening right in front of my eyes.

I wasn't able to touch the people who were there,

Yet those people created an impact on everyone sitting and watching them.

Though I sat among a number of people, I never really got to interact with them. But we all connected through a unified experience.

Again, what was that?

Yesterday, I went to watch Maa Inti Bangaaram, a Telugu film directed by Nandini Reddy and starring Samantha and others.

Actually, I wasn't really keen on watching this film. But my mom was desperately wanting to watch it. Firstly, because she likes Samantha, and secondly, because she liked the whole genre and idea of the film itself. So, we decided to watch it at PVR.

The film opens with the leading star, Samantha.

First of all, watching Samantha on screen after such a long time was a delight in itself. Her subtle performance, natural charm, and stunning action sequences effortlessly shoulder the film and keep the audience engaged throughout.

 The story is about Swarna (played by Samantha), who is married, but the marriage happened without the groom's parents' consent. After three years of marriage, both Swarna and her husband, Anirudh, receive a call from his family to attend his sister's wedding.

With happy expectations, they go there. Seeing the rituals and the atmosphere of the household, Swarna decides to prove herself as a good daughter-in-law.

But the mystery in this seemingly usual story lies in the female protagonist's past. It is painful, heavy, and something she feels ashamed of, as she had once followed and trusted the wrong people. However, she hides it and tries to begin a new life after her marriage.

That peace is disturbed by the antagonist, who happens to be from her past. The threat he poses affects her immediate family as well.

Will she save her family from the danger? Will the family uncover her past? What actually makes her a good daughter-in-law?

The rest of the story answers these questions.

To give a short review,

The first half of the film is very slow and steady. It sets up the tone of the story. Many scenes feel familiar, but the actors' performances and humour make it a pleasant experience. The action sequences are a treat to the eyes, and Samantha easily pulls them off.

Manjusha, as Kiranmayi, the lead's friend, delivers humour that lands well and offers genuine laughter to the audience. Seeing actors like Gautami back on screen was also beautiful.

The flashback portion is revealed in the first half itself. I felt it could have been saved for the second half, as the pre-interval sequence was building up that kind of hype. Though the flashback appears only briefly, it provides good support for the overall story. Even then, I felt the central conflict could have been stated more clearly.

The second half focuses largely on the antagonist who is introduced with powerful music and stylish shots. However, his actions and overall character arc don't really impress the audience. Once again, he feels like a very familiar trope villain.

Still, Gulshan Devaiah performance was good, which helped him occupy much of the second half effectively.

However, due to the familiarity of many scenes , characterization , and the way the story progresses, the film feels flat at times. 

The music was pleasant and adapted well to the story's needs.

The action sequences are undoubtedly the backbone of the film.

As Samantha mentioned during the film's promotional event, the role was initially intended for Sai Pallavi, and the script originally contained more drama. However, after Samantha came on board, the script was tweaked to include more action.

I'm glad they made that decision because the action sequences were an absolute blast in the theatre.

Especially the bus fight scene.

And the climax sequence.

Now, coming back to my opening statement.

What made me so happy was the way the entire theatre erupted when Samantha jumped and kicked the antagonist's men out of the bus. In the final scene, when she spins the gun, the entire theatre was filled with screams, cheers, and whistles.

What stood out to me was that the audience never questioned whether a woman could fight a hundred men. They simply embraced the moment, cheered for her, and enjoyed it the same way they would for any male star. Seeing a houseful theatre respond with that kind of energy felt genuinely happy.

Having grown up watching male leads receive those whistles, cheers, and applause, seeing a female lead receive the same energy from the audience felt incredibly satisfying.

Overall, though the film follows a very familiar Basha template and falls flat at times due to overused scenes and emotions, it still offers a pleasant watch through its scene construction, humour, action sequences, and subtle performances by the actors.