Mahanati (2018)

Biography of Savitri, an actress from South India movie industry, who ruled the industry for two decades during 50s and 60s.

Director:

Nag Ashwin

Writers:

Nag Ashwin (screenplay), Sai Madhav Burra (dialogue)

Stars:

Keerthi Suresh, Dulquer Salmaan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu

Top Rated Indian Movies #52 | 2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Keerthi Suresh	...	Savitri
Dulquer Salmaan	...	Gemini Ganesan
Samantha Ruth Prabhu	...	Madhuravani (as Samantha Akkineni)
Vijay Deverakonda	...	Vijay Anthony
Rajendra Prasad	...	K.V. Chowdary (as Dr. Rajendra Prasad)
Bhanupriya	...	Durgamba (as Bhanu Priya)
Divyavani	...	Subadrama
Mohan Babu	...	S.V. Ranga Rao
Prakash Raj	...	Chakrapani
Srinivas Avasarala	...	L.V. Prasad
Irfan	...	Prithivirajkapoor
Naga Chaitanya Akkineni	...	ANR (as Naga Chaitanya)
Manobala	...	Pulliah
Malavika Nair	...	Alimelu
Shalini Pandey	...	Susheela

Storyline

Mahanati depicts the personal and professional life of first Indian female superstar, Savitri. After actress Savitri is admitted in a hospital in Bangalore and she goes into coma, a young investigative journalist, Madhuravani, seizes the opportunity to write an article on her life. The young Savitri meets Gemini Ganesan, who works in casting department, after her failed attempts to get a role in cinema. They both start a career in acting and eventually rise to stardom. Savitri falls in love with him despite the fact that he is married. Their marriage results in a rift with her family but Savitri never gives up on her love. Her dreams are shattered when she learns that Gemini Ganesan is a womanizer and has been continuing his illicit relationships even after their marriage. The rest of the story is about how she stood up against all odds and the result of her wrong choices in life.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

India

Language:

Telugu Tamil

Release Date:

8 May 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Great Actress

Box Office

Budget:

$3,650,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Swapna Cinema, Vyjayanthi Movies

Technical Specs

Runtime:

177 min

Color:

Color Black and White (some sequences) Black and White (film in film sequences)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First choice for the role Savithri was Nithya Menon. After her rejection further discussion taken place with Vidhya Balan. After her rejection Savithri role was immediately banked by Keerthi Suresh.

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Goofs

When Savithri was approached by Chakrapani for convincing her to accept role in Mayabazar, she was shown hearing the song "aduthu paduthu pani chestunte" in radio. That song was from the film Thodikodallu which was signed and filmed much later to Mayabazar, though released two months earlier.

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Connections

Spoofed in Thamizh Padam 2 (2018)

User Reviews

A Compelling biopic on Savitri's reel and real persona. can't praise it enough!!

I've never in my wildest thought would have imagined Keerthy Suresh could be a testament, her presence match on par to the late Savitri that there is not a frame in this film that doesn't feel her infection leaving a mark which will remain with you long after the cinema.

It was a facepalm moment for the Keerthy Suresh critic in me while witnessing Mahanati, the star who has slogged her way through so much mediocre films, has had her fair share of significance in tinsel town to woo bozos with her expressions. Well let me stop, this was my perception of the star and it's a kick in the teeth moment for me after getting to see Mahanati.

The sole reason that convinced me to watch it was the music album. Well I wanted to do my ritual of having a little booze before entering a mediocre film with my friends who go gaga for the actress expressions. To add to the tragedy with a day left for Karnataka elections, Government had notified pubs and bars to be closed till 12th of May.

Well, a uturn to return home was couple of Kms away, and I didn't as I was asked by my friend to make it for the film for the sake of Dulquer Salman. This was the 2nd reason I believe can he can add value to the film. I watched the film at Gandhinagar which is the hubspot of cinema fans across Bangalore.

I walked out of cinema with such a great joy of seeing a true Telugu film after ages. The last movie which fits the bill will forever be 2013's 'Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu'. Keerthy Suresh had maintained a childlike innocence throughout the runtime and the score blended with the characters which was revealing with pathos.

The story follows Savitri's exodus from her village to Madras who dreams of making it big while her well-wishers believe that she can create waves in repertoire cinema. She then meets the Quixotic Gemini Ganeshan and her life blooms as she travels in green pastures.

Well good things come to an end so does this love story of rags to riches and riches to rags. I don't want dig more on the story as the movie plays out like a documentary and the technique of telling the usual story all by itself would have been a fine bet, but the added layers in the screenplay filled with subtext provide a sort of ongoing commentary on the story that makes it much more interesting.

Seeing obvious parallels with the lead actress' reel and real lives collide is odd, but like the parallels between Savitri and the character she is preparing to play, it only adds depth to the story and gives us more insight into what is happening and mixes effortlessly with the central story.

Sure to captivate, Mahanati is a fine piece of film which will be lauded by cinema enthusiasts. I'm fortunate to be able to see this film as I was not part of the golden era.