Hanuman (Hindi) Movie Review: Move with the relatable superhero movie starring Prasanth Varma and Teja Sajja

Hanuman is one of the most beloved characters in Indian mythology and has been the inspiration for several superhero films around the world. While the MCU and DCU created a world based on Hanuman’s superpowers, India had a similarly large void. In 2024, director Prasanth Varma finally made an attempt to create a superhero who gets his powers from Lord Hanuman. Will Hanuman live up to expectations? Let’s check it out.

Hanuman synopsis:

Hanumantu (Teja Saja) comes across a mysterious stone that leads him to Lord Hanuman’s superpowers. Michael (Vinay Rai) has been obsessed with superheroes since childhood and goes on a hunt to get a mysterious stone from Hanumantu. The film depicts the rise of superheroes and the transformation of aspiring superheroes into supervillains. What gives this stone such great power? Will Michael be able to control the stone? All this and more unfolds in Hanuman.

Check out Pinkvilla’s exclusive interview featuring Prasanth Varma and Teja Sajja

What works for Hanuman?

A superhero story set in the backdrop of Lord Hanuman is always waiting to be told and director Prasanth Varma seizes the chance to create a new superhero in the city. What worked for Hanuman was the originality of the content and also the fact that the filmmaker has his own distinct voice in telling the story. Varma has packaged the story in the format of an Indian commercial film as the script has a lot of drama, highs and comedy and it works seamlessly.

The visualization of this concept is commendable, as Varma and his team conceived of the visuals and executed them with conviction, despite budget constraints. Some of the visuals are breathtaking and comparable to feature films made on a budget of Rs 300 crore. The narration blends superhero moments with mythology.

The director starts the movie with the villain’s backstory, which is one of the big highlights of the movie. Hanuman’s introductory block, the entire long sequence of his encounter with the mysterious stone, the first action block where he gains supernatural powers, and the pre-interval sequence stand out in the first half. The pace slows down in the second half, but the story reaches a goosebump-inducing finale. It will definitely be greeted with seethi and thali. His last 20 minutes of Hanuman are outstanding in terms of cinematic experience. The sister emotions work well, but I’d like to see a better resolution of the brother-sister bond. Pay attention to the sequence in the second half with Lord Ram’s visuals in the background. It’s amazing, to say the least.

The film is a great preparation for the second part as it concludes the story Prasanth wanted to tell with Hanuman and promises a new experience in the next story. The VFX deserves all the applause as the team did a fantastic job of doing justice to this grand and ambitious vision. The coach’s greatest victory is his belief in having us root for a young man fighting his toughest and most powerful enemy.

Hindi dubbing is also available.

What could go wrong for Hanuman?

HanuMan could have been crispier in about 20 minutes. In the first part he has a big distraction in the form of a romantic track for the two leads, so it takes longer to build than expected. In the first half, the main character gains superpowers and things start to move. The film also has its problems in the second half, with the story taking an unexpected turn early on, but thankfully there are enough moments in his final 20 minutes to make up for the narration’s derailment.

Although there are some issues with the VFX in some sequences, audiences should keep their expectations in check regarding the same as the film is being made on a modest budget of around Rs 550 crore. Meanwhile, the vision was for him to make 500 million rupees. movie. The humor works for most parts, but in certain scenes it goes too far.

Watch the trailer for Hanuman

Performance on Hanuman:

‘Hanuman’ stars Teja Sajja, Amirta Iyer, Varalakshmi Sarathkumar, Vinay Rai, Raj Deepak Shetty, Venera Kishore, Sathya and Getup Srinu all doing well in their roles. This is a movie with excellent casting. It would be unfair to go into the depth of their acting given that we saw the film in Hindi, but the quality of the dubbing for Hanuman is second to none of the biggest blockbusters made in Hindi. I can confidently say that it is on par with some.

Hanuman’s verdict:

All in all, ‘Hanuman’ is the first surprise package of 2024 where director Prasanth Varma brings his ambitions to the big screen with utmost conviction. The movie entertains with the right amount of drama, action, comedy, and dedication values. Apart from the vision of creating something magical, it is also the non-serious approach to superhero stories that is gaining attention.

Just as Lord Hanuman searches for a pure heart to acquire superpowers, audiences are always looking for sincere filmmakers for this ambitious interpretation of Lord Hanuman in modern times. It will reward Prasanth Varma.