The Telugu version of Madha Gaja Raja, produced by Gemini Film Circuit and Benzz Media (P) Ltd, was released in theatres today. In this section, we are going to review the latest box office release.
Plot:
Raja (Vishal) is a happy-go-lucky youngster who can't see others being in trouble. When he goes to his hometown to attend a wedding, he discovers that his two childhood buddies have a tiff with an influential business tycoon named Vishwanath (Sonu Sood). When Raja dares to seek justice, he ends up challenging Vishwanath's hegemony. The power structure could crumble.
Analysis:
Madha Gaja Raja is a wonder. It is chronically outdated but has gone on to become a Pongal blockbuster in Tamil this year. Someone thought the Telugu audience must get to experience its comedy. This reviewer was more interested to learn how entertainment-starved the Tamil audience must be to make an ostensibly cringe-y comedy like this one a sensational sleeper hit. They rejected a Shankar movie (Game Changer) outright to watch this one, showering Rs 50 Cr (no less) on it. They are going to suffer the unintended consequences of this success in the coming years, with a host of second-rate filmmakers trying to become copycats.
Director Sundar C's movies sometimes lack tonal consistency. The hero and villain of Madha Gaja Raja are from Mars, while the rest of the bunch are from Venus. The problem is that the protagonist-antagonist duo eventually surrenders to the madness propelled by the others. Sonu Sood's Vishwanath may be a hegemonic force, but all that it takes to bring him down is a messed-up 'majjiga' here and a 'walking' dead body there. The most powerful person in the State has the same IQ as the autorickshaw driver the hero befriends in five minutes flat.
Twice in the second half, this reviewer was reminded of two Mahesh Babu movies. One is Businessman, quite an inferior film that the writing department of this film might have watched while making this movie more than a decade ago. The Puri Jagannadh movie was quite fresh in their memory back then. The other one is Guntur Kaaram, and this callback is funny. The way Vishal's character walks into the antagonist's bungalow, speaks to him and comes out unharmed, it is as though he has just been to his estranged dad's (instead of a mother's) house.
Two separate tracks involving the Vishal-Anjali duo and the Vishal-Varalaxmi Sarathkumar duo give way to one doubly cringe-y track in the second half. The heroines have no option but to desire the one man they are getting to see from a close range. And since the hero is into the habit of rescuing, saving, enriching, nourishing and/or showering gold on others, anybody would fall in love with such a walking, talking sweet shop.
This film was made when Santhanam's comedy used to be in total form. So, no surprise that his comedy works big-time here. But the rest of the film, both writing and execution wise, is embarrassing.
Closing Remarks:
Madha Gaja Raja is proof that Sundar C's comedies can't be saved. His style of treatment is messy and outdated, especially for the Telugu audience who have graduated to watching comedy capers.
