RSS Feed
Twitter
Disclaimer : If you haven’t seen the film or didn’t like the film, then please don’t read this essay on Khaaleja. If you still want to read this one, let me also confess that I am an ardent admirer of both Mahesh Babu and Trivikram Srinivas. Thus, I am oblivious to whatever ‘loopholes’ which you have found out in the film. And if you think the whole film was a piece of shit, then Good Luck with other films this year and the next.
I am neither an atheist, nor am I a firm believer in the concept of ‘God’. What I do know is that, conviction and belief that you can achieve anything can do miracles. Isn’t this faith, which more or less translates to something similar to the concept of ‘God’? So, why am I talking about God, faith when this blog is supposed to be an essay on the latest Trivikram Srinivas’ Khaaleja starring Mahesh Babu, Anushka, Prakash Raj and a host of other actors? Because Khaaleja, has got a lot to do with our mental projection of God and what we expect him to be or do. And it also matters which side of the fence you are on when you watch this film.
In the past 12 years, I can’t think of a writer whose work has become a hot favourite at a coffee table conversation apart from Trivikram Srinivas. It’s no easy task to inspire a whole generation of movie buffs go gaga about your dialogues. There were films, which went on to become blockbusters thanks to Trivikram’s dialogues. However, when he took up direction with Nuvve Nuvve, I had my own share of doubts whether he would be able to pull it off with ease. He has proved me wrong twice, with Nuvve Nuvve and his best till date, Athadu. Jalsa was an entertaining film, but he’s capable of doing much better than that. So, what happens when the God of Punchlines meets the God of intensity (Mahesh Babu) for the second time? Fireworks, much to our delight! And this time, Mahesh Babu goes for a complete makeover. Very few actors till date have looked as suave as Mahesh manages to look in Khaaleja. And it just doesn’t stop there…he’s the comedian, side-kick, lover boy, fighter…all rolled into one king sized powerhouse. Did I just confess that he’s one of the best actors in contemporary Telugu cinema? You don’t have to read between the lines to reckon this fact.
Mahesh stars as Alluri Seeta Rama Raju, a Taxi driver who embarks on a journey to a village near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan in search of an obscure family. Turns out that his job depends on his meeting this family and recover some money from them. Meanwhile, he bumps into Subhashini (Anushka), who’s been a thorn in his life over the past few months. One fine day, Seeta Rama Raju is attacked and before he’s nearly killed by the goons, he’s rescued by a mysterious guy (Shafi) who’s from a far away land. And what follows next is myth turning into reality, a man turning into a messiah in a Trivikram’s kickass style.
Change is a strange thing, especially in cinema. Like any other art, it’s met with staunch criticism in the beginning. Yet, it becomes the norm after a period of time. What’s so dramatic about Khaaleja is how it gives a new dimension to Mahesh’s aura and the whole progression of his characterization. Look, he’s no demi-god of Telugu cinema. Atleast, not yet. But I cannot think of any other actor pulling off the character of Seeta Rama Raju with the same ease as Mahesh does in this film. He’s charming to begin with and the adjectives don’t end there. His dialogue modulation, which some of my friends have called as ‘inconsistent’, is precisely what works in favour of the film! When was the last time you were absolutely thrilled to watch a lead actor’s performance in a comic role? Perhaps, NTR in Adhurs…or maybe what Venkatesh did in films like Nuvvu Naaku Nachchav and Malleswari & Nagarjuna in Manmadhudu. It’s like the lover boy from Murari, the intensity of Okkadu, the suave killer from Athadu and the brash guy from Pokiri all rolled into one Seeta Rama Raju. I seriously can’t have enough of his comic timing and intensity in action sequences. And that fills up the entire film!
For the first time in almost a decade, a film’s hero gets more attention than the heroine, even on the basis of one’s looks. Although I have joined the bandwagon which believes that Anushka is the latest pin-up girl who can act, Khaaleja, perhaps won’t figure in her list of ‘bests’. But then, most of the encounters between Mahesh and Anushka are so remarkably written, then you want them to continue for a little more time. How about the ‘coffee shop’ scene? Or maybe even the scene between Ali, Sunil, Mahesh and Anushka? Prakash Raj is indeed restricted in his role where he’s trying to be the ambitious businessman who has to eliminate everything which hinders him. Nevertheless, he adds every possible ounce of sophistication in his role. The rest of the star cast are relegated to minor roles. However, Shafi and Rao Ramesh stand out, thanks to their intense performances. Rao Ramesh does an a la aghora from Magadheera and Shafi dazzles in his role.
I firmly believe that Trivikram Srinivas’ work needs to be revisited to absorb the finesse of his writing. The sense of humour is always in the air and the gags are faster than bullets – blink-and -you-will-miss style. It has happened once with Jalsa, which I absolutely hated when I saw it in the cinema hall. Later, when I watched the same film I realised how brilliantly funny the film was. Khaaleja is no different. In fact, the humour is easy to digest and it just gets better and better with every repeat viewing. I have seen the film only once, but my intuition tells me that this film will have more repeat telecasts than any other film in the recent 2-3 years when it premieres on TV. I am no God, but I have absolute faith in Trivikram Srinivas. For me, Khaaleja is another proof that he delivers his best everytime he writes. Period!
There’s a part of me which desperately wants to align with the perspective of thousands of you who have hated the film, because you believe that ‘there’s no story’! Some people have even said that the film takes a long time to arrive at the crux of the story and that it had no clue where it was going. I beg to differ. The way I see it, the entire first half of the film is a metaphor for every extra-ordinary journey people have undertaken before they find their calling/karma/destiny. Seeta Rama Raju is in search of a family and circumstances lead him to change the course of not only his journey but also the lives of an entire village. He turns into their messiah, their god. The transition to this state is another factor which cannot be overlooked. Seetarama Raju is a reluctant superhero and he doesn’t believe in himself despite the overwhelming evidence of his divinity. A friend of mine told me that he heard someone say, “They have made a mockery of God. Does a God consume alcohol?” Bhayya, the fact the he’s God, gives him the license to do absolutely anything. You can’t have rules for Gods, how they should behave etc! How could you miss such simple logic? You complain of excessive violence and I ask you, show me one battle from our mythology where there wasn’t any bloodshed? It is afterall what Gods have been doing for ages….the truimph of good over evil has never been so entertaining.
There is, however one thing which caught me off-guard – the existence of Iridium in Pali! Maybe I will have to watch the film again to figure out this aspect. Yash Bhat’s cinematography and choice of locations is spectacular. The arid lands have a charm of their own and are instrumental in giving the whole a raw look. Mahesh Babu’s styling deserves a big thumbs up! He has reinvented himself and it’s hard to believe that he’s in his mid 30s! Mani Sharma’s music and songs stand out occasionally. Sreekar Prasad is at his usual best. Trivikram Srinivas, comes loaded with quite a few credits and credentials for this film. Lets say, I found his dialogues splendid, his story well written, screenplay gets better as the film progresses. With every film, he has tried to experiment someway or the other. How do you decide whether a director has succeeded or failed in his attempt? For me, everything he tried to do in the film worked and how! If you are of a different opinion, then I am sure even Trivikram doesn’t have time to bother about our rants. Get it?
The film was under production for almost three years, due to production delays and a host of other issues. At the end of such strenous exercise and excruciatingly long wait, is it all worth it? This is precisely where your point of view comes into play. I was throughly engrossed into each and every frame of the film that I didn’t have the opportunity to explore where the film hit the wrong note. Chances are that you would have found crater sized holes in the script, direction and even Mahesh Babu’s acting. Under such circumstances, an ideal thing to do would be to close your eyes and think about the possibility of such a script and more importantly the philosophy behind the film. You don’t have to be a God to save lives, but you can’t stop others from believing that you are God if you save someone’s life. How about that? Is that a difficult pill to digest?
At the end of the film, 534 people remain in the village as per the prophecy. I think I saw God and wanted to be the 535th member of this clan. Would that be too much to ask for? Where else can you find a God who’s panache could kill all evil? Where else can you find a God whose smile can heal your pain? Where else can you find a God who dazzles you with his mere appearance? I bow before thee, Mahesh. I bow before your creator, Trivikram.
P.S: I place my trust in you amidst this sea of atheists.
P.P.S: This is an extremely biased take on Khaaleja and I would request you not to believe me. In all probability, you might want to stone me to death for this opinion. Fair enough, I saw God and all I can say is, I can’t make you see Him unless you believe He’s there. #kthxbai
Posted in 
Tags: 
Dang man! I’m telling you, you are one of the best reviewers I’ve seen. Especially when you admit it was biased (however, you were really good in ur review”.
Thanks, peace
Guess we both liked the movie. Even I too wrote a review. Please feel free to check it when you are free at figjamraghav.blogspot.com
I have not seen the movie. But the blog is so very well written that I am forced to go and watch it
Absolutely loved the film despite of negative talk/reviews. The effort to make a different film has to be appreciated. Mahesh’s character kept on growing with me and if songs had been better – Khaleja would been an average at least..
I strongly feel that Trivikram’s films take their own sweet time to get digested/understood and this will not be an exception.
Hope God listens to this and save this film from biting the dust [as the whole online/offline media is projecting]
kummav bhayya…
awesome report… really loved it
I saw the movie yesterday night… friends andaru bagoledu annadu.. hall lo andaru tala kottukunnaru.. enduko naaku baga nachindi cinema…
inka Mahesh Keka… ee cinema tho nenu mahesh babu fan aipoya….
inka ee review gurinchu cheppalante.. u have proved that u have something intresting to write be it biased or unbiased…
in short .. “this review is like trivikram dialogues”.
This is what happens when fans become critics. Critic should be critical and not emotional !! you could have removed some noise like “The film was under production for almost three years, due to production delays and a host of other issues. At the end of such strenous exercise and excruciatingly long wait, is it all worth it?”
Any ways………
well written review bro, i agree with everything u mentioned, but y do u keep on sayin tht its biased..i dont think so..
Only a couple of scenes in the first half which doesnt hav mahesh, i felt were not upto trivikram’s standards, otherwise this should be a blockbuster…:)
See, i am no better a dieing fan of telugu film industry.
What all i see in a film is the different way the story is angled by the Creator i.e, Director. In my opinion,no offense, director is one who is capable of making the hero act in a way the script demands.
We all should understand that the director is the real hero behind screens rather than going for Hero or Heroine for their looks. So, my point is all about the script…..
Can u barely tell me the script for more than 2 minutes.
My wording is here…Some hero lives in A.P., there should be a villain…. If villain directly angers Hero,no new in that..so there are people getting affected by villain’s doings. So, one starts traveling all the way from A.P(even it is in the border) to Rajasthan in search of hero according to a prophecy.
Everything happens for a reason.I strongly believe this statement, even if it is or not. Here it comes into play.. Hero goes rajasthan for something and meets heroine unexpectedly….who comes all of a sudden due to some misdoing by the villain son. Don’t you think it is something that someone forced you to do it..
Who in telugu film industry cares giving a role to heroine rather than glamor. She should be in the film, for two things let it be romance or introducing hero to villain for final rival.
Is there anything you find new in the SCRIPT..???
Now come to performance..,yeah, i completely agree with mahesh’s peformance in a outstanding new style…what about others???
All the comedy tracks, jokes run by everyone made me tickle no doubt in it., rather they missed me laugh where i completely enjoyed in Director’s previous movies.
Even the way the director shot the songs are different from the way the telugu film industry have seen so far…but not impressed too much…
My opinion is that all the flavors you add to a film whether it is dance,comedy,dressing,cinematography only makes your film run for more days for a RIGID and FIRM script….
This film has everything other than the SCRIPT which is the heart and soul of a movie…which makes it a ONE TIME WATCH movie…!!!
DO you think this film is worth waiting for 3 years??
I don’t know what to claim in the film that i felt awkward….but at the same time i did not find it worth interesting….
There are some scenes that made it a telugu film…
The opening scene that got praised by everyone.., do you think hero is such a guy killing people for water…let it be…don’t you think it was kept for introduction of hero for introducing him in a overwhelming(my hero is GOD) manner..
Do you think in any way, the dialogues used and the way mahesh tries for stunts resembles ram charan teja in Magadheera where a.p people haven’t forgotten yet..
I also found that Iridium part of the story is added to make it more exciting but finally remains as it is..
I found multi millionaire like Prakash Raj coming with knives for killing hero in the climax..,though he brought a single pistol which hero removes from the scene in a single blow….How could director miss such silly things…??
I accept that stunts made by hero are really new and stunning..credits to the stunt master for that.
Awesome Review man! I totally agree with your views.. Its the expectations that are playing the spoilsport here. Its one entertaining blast of a movie!
much better outcome than Jalsa. Trivikram is just wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well said Hemanth,
This movie reminds me of ‘Khushi’. When I first saw it quite a few (including few fans) told me it was such a trash film. We all know what happened later. Let me put this way, it may not be a great film, but by no means a bad film. Probably Robo is having an effect on people, even without they knowing it!
And then…of course… I’ve always loved the excitement in the voice of your reviews…it just continues – Chill, Sheetal
Perfect review..
CHala mandiki nachakapovachu.. I’m more than satisfied. “Mahesh Khaaleja” is worth waiting for 3 long years!
@ Sollu: Nee bondha raa. Comparing Rajamouli’s creation with Trivikram’s creation, you go and die man.Rajamouli doesnt have single logic correctly in his movie till date. Better have mind and think. All of his movies are either directly lifted from other sources and they are written by others.Trivikram does everything on his own and does it with very great ease.
@Chandrahas: God level reply to Kumar.
My feel on this review: Just as said by many above, he is the only one who had sense among all reviewers.
My review : Dialogues are just excellent and he penned it thinking general human psychology. One example to show such way of thinking of Trivikram is lawyer Miriyam asking for fulfilling his desires when Raju says I am god. The dialogues of each character were also written by taking their characterization into account.Accent of dialogue is designed based on what the character is.
Regarding screenplay, You might even feel that second half is loosely bound.But It is made loosely bound so as to give you time for the things he want to convey to sink into you. He did excellent job in keeping us unknown of the main plot till last 25 minutes.
Do any1 of our directors can handle such intricate concept this well and do they have guts to comeup with such storyline.
“When you think for good to happen for others rather than just for you, then the divine part present in you can be felt. Hence pray for good of the world.”
Trivikram is the person who is known for his high quality technicality and he is the one who gives best of all (STORY, SCREENPLAY, DIALOGUES & DIRECTION).
Saving best for last MAHESH:
There is lots of change in him from his earlier movies. Took jokes on him also! (Motions in Barista) His costumes and make-up gave him godly looks which are just addictive. His performance shows him being very firm in showing a normal behavior as ordinary taxi driver. He was fully aware of the fact that if he again repeats being class like in his earlier movies he will get another flop. Hence he came up with good movie which could increase his fan base in mass crowd also. He succeeded in turning himself into the typical mass cabbie with his dialogues and expressions in every scene and the movie Khaleja into MaheshKhaleja by his subtle performance showing variation according to the scene.
Orey Ep…
dont come with nuisance around u stupid,can u briefly tell me the scene where director has excelled himself comparing his last movies.
I had never involved rajamouli in this..y do u bring him so suddenly..
write more than 3 lines about the most interesting aspect of story please….
As i already said,jokes are good,mahesh is awesome…all these are flavors that add to the heart of movie called SCRIPT…
please answer and then talk u mindless follower.
Thats an awesome blogpost and guys please do visit my blog preview-the-review.blogspot.com for honest cinema reviews but not biased :p
all u people talking about individual but movie is
buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuus
Hemanth..
The best of the bests i have read so far..
honest
genuine
and
confident review
I exactly echo your feelings/impressions/emotions with Khaaleja…
it’s gonna be super rocking in about a week or two..
lets wait n see the magic
Me too liked the movie.But I think Trivikram has a sentiment of using Sepia backgrounds in his movies[athadu,jalsa and now this one]
Me too liked the movie.But I think Trivikram has a strong sentiment of using Sepia background for his movies.[athadu,jalsa and now this one.]
Fantastic review mate!
i believe in the “brand” Trivikram as much as you do. the way he delivers, boy o boy!you have have watch to experience. lovely movie. lovely acting. lovely direction period.
Awesome…review dude…!
I saw d movie 3 times… n i m liking it more n more…
Mean while i ll catch it dis week end too!
A perfect movie from 2 gentlemen!
I bow before MB, Trivikram n “U”.
hemanth kudos!its a difficult task to pen down a review which opposes every others, circulating around, it is also very easy to get carried away when you find urself connected to the film.according to me you have highlighted the very facts which others found bizarre. i loved your convection and insight.
a good film issnt the one which has a tremendous run for a yr or the one which breaks all the records but it definitely could be the one which u can get connected to.
Let it be the story or mahesh or trivi or music or any other reason i personally thought khaleja is a good film.
very worst movie…..none of my frnds liked it….15$ pedda bokka…..and more over time waste…..
@sollu baabu mem cinema ni cinema la chustham….crctga tappulekkadunnai ani vetakam….chinna chinna pointlu patkuni edo saadinchananukovatam moorkhatvam!!!
Hemanth, I stopped following you long back on twitter (i think it was just before you joined southscope). I like you as a writer, for sure. you were true to yourself on Saleem. but i think after your take on ‘Jhummandi Nadam’ I guess I stopped looking at your website. Now thru Deva Katta’s twitter I bumped into your Khaleja review again.
As somebody suggested above, just be true to yourself. You wanted to be a film-critic not a biased film critic.
Try and understand screenplay and realize how important it is to produce a ‘well-written’ material. coz I remember you wrote somewhere you want to be a film-maker some time down the line.
As a ‘screen writing’ student @ NYFA, I have found ‘Khaleja’ to be an absolute bullshit product. I agree trivikram is a good dialogue writer BUT NOT a good ‘screen writer’. I still wonder how come a ‘chirunnavutho’, Nuvvu naaku nachaav writer can produce a such low quality script.
anyways, here are my 2cents on Khaleja
http://tumbu-vk.blogspot.com/2010/10/mahesh-khaleja-my-2-cents.html
you are good writer, no doubt abt it. but try to be ‘not biased’
i absolutely loved the way film was narrated. Mahesh delivered a memorable performance. At time I was reminded of his role in Pokiri (dialogue delivery), by large, I loved his humour. Trivikram, in my view, was not at his best and definitely not anyway near his worst. But this does not take away anything from the film they made.
Lovable!
[...] have the dubious honour for loving one of Mahesh Babu’s biggest flops – Khaleja. So, I am the sort of guy who really wouldn’t mind watching Mahesh Babu running on a treadmill [...]