Director Ajay Bhupathi’s Visakhapatnam and its deep, mysterious seas need a sharp script
Maha Samudram is director Ajay Bhupathi’s ode to the port city of Visakhapatnam; This is also his hat for mainstream cinema. his second outing, after RX-100, has gorgeous sweeps and some edgy characters who wear their brown shades with Ellen. It is a story of romance, friendship, betrayal and redemption, led by talented actors like Sharwanand, Siddharth, Aditi Rao Hydari, Jagapathi Babu and Rao Ramesh. But ultimately, what was intended to be a soaring saga falls short.
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In the 1970s, Arjun (Sharwanand) and Vijay (Siddharth) could have been India’s quintessential Jai and Veeru. cinder – Fat and big like thieves, fight with the bad gabbar. In the 1990s, they could have been Vineet and Abbas prema desami Ping for the same woman. In 2021, Guys needed to be more multi-dimensional and Ajay has attempted this by showing us the potential areas of friction early on.
As the friendship between Arjun and Vijay plays out against a sun-kissed scenario (Raj Thota’s cinematography captures Vizag in all its glory) to Chaitan Bhardwaj’s peppy friendship song, Ajay plays it with Chanchu Chacha (Jagpati Babu). calms with the presence of. Chanchu alludes to a tragic past that scares Vijay and perhaps shapes him as he is. We will never know, as this angle has not been explored, save for the exchange of dialogues in the pre-climax parts. What we get is a self-centred triumph whose intention to become a police officer does not stem from idealistic ideas.
Maha Samudram
- Cast: Sharwanand, Siddharth, Aditi Rao Hydari, Anu Emmanuel
- Direction: Ajay Bhupathi
- Music: Chaitan Bhardwaj
He fraudulently appears to be the quietest of the two friends, only showing his true form to Maha (Aditi Rao Hydari), who is blinded by love. In this open play type of narrative, we can anticipate what is happening before the characters arrive. But this is also a predictable story. We can anticipate the heartbeat of the relationship and know who will take steps to restore some semblance of purity.
The early parts focus a bit more on Vijay, before the narrative gradually reveals Arjuna. Both Arjun and Maha are characters that don’t surprise too many, and their quiet strength demands actors who can deliver an honest emotional beat. As the story progresses, Sharwanand comes into his own and makes us sympathetic and inert towards Arjuna. Aditi lends credibility to the naive Maha, who has a mix of innocence, vulnerability and strength. Every time she hands over her hard-earned money to someone, you want her to stop, because the recipient doesn’t deserve it.
In parallel to the bromance and romance, Ajay Bhupathi shows another aspect of the port city, which eventually takes center stage, as do Chanchu Chacha and Babji (Rao Ramesh). These talented actors make their part of the show more interesting than the way it is written. Remove the curious trick given to the character of Rao Ramesh and he will be a typical mainstream villain. Jagapathi Babu’s character gets an edge in a few crucial moments, but that doesn’t seem to be enough.
In fact, the biggest issue with Maha Samudram It’s that despite its grandiose intent, it never feels good enough. Whistle-worthy masala moments are few and far between and the story doesn’t completely drag us into the whirlwind of the proceedings. We get a lot of lines about that mighty, mysterious sea that holds many secrets. Only some of them have the desired effect.
The film feels stretched out even with characters that have not been adequately portrayed. Sidharth’s character and his backstory had much more potential than what we see on screen. The actor tries to portray the turmoil required for his part, but he doesn’t get enough to chew on. He revels in what he achieves and shatters the image of the savvy boy he had earlier earned in Telugu cinema, once and for all.
One of the things that must be appreciated in this film is the ever-reliable Saranya. She can play the hot mother with the bat of Palak and make her look cute.
On the other end, there is Anu Emmanuel who is saddled with a character who is beyond acting. This is the most underwritten part of the film.
Also, it is the opportune time that filmmakers think of calling off a relationship without taking anyone out of the way. A deserving person deserves a chance to win, even if a competitor is around. Maybe a decade more will have to wait for this in a mainstream Telugu film.
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