Rating : 2.5/5
Dr. Rajasekhar was quite a force to reckon with in the Telugu Film Industry at one point of time. During the late 80′s and early 90′s, Rajasekhar had a number of super hits to his credit and most of them happened to be cop dramas. With ‘Mahankaali’, Rajasekhar tried his hand once again at the tough cop formula. Jeevitha is the director of this movie and Madhurima is the heroine. Chinna has composed the music. Let us see if ‘Mahankaali’ is worth a watch.
Story :
The movie is set in Hyderabad. Harshad Bhai (Pradeep Rawath) is a Dubai based Don who controls the ‘pathabasthi’ with an iron fist with the help of his associates Jayakka (Nalini) and Laddoo. Apart from running various extortion and murder rackets, Harshad Bhai also indulges in acts of terrorism. Another local Don named Nayak Bhai (Venu Gopal) also tries to gain control over Hyderabad by clashing with Harshad Bhai’s gang.
To salvage the deteriorating law and order situation in the city, encounter specialist Mahankaali (Dr. Rajasekhar) is brought in. Mahankaali is a man who believes in instant justice and he sets about eliminating the bad guys.
Just as things seem to be coming under control, the Police Commissioner (Chalapathi Rao) teams up with Harshad Bhai’s gang and implicates Mahankaali in a series of false cases. How does Mahankaali come out? Will he succeed in eliminating the bad guys? That forms the story of ‘Mahankaali’.
Plus Points :
Rajasekhar has given a powerful performance as encounter specialist ‘Mahankaali’. Glimpses of the yesteryear angry young man of films like ‘Ankusam’, ‘Magaadu’ etc can be seen in this perofrmance. Sai Kumar’s dubbing is a big asset for the role.
There are some punch dialogues and powerful emotional sequences that will appeal to masala film lovers and front benchers. Madhurima has also come up with a glamor treat in the film.
Some action episodes have been shot well.
Minus Points :
The story of the movie is a pretty routine affair. There are a lot of similarities to many of the older encounter specialist films like Gopichand’s ‘Golimaar’ etc. The second half of the movie is extremely predictable and boring.
The power and emotion found in the first half is largely missing in the second half. Screenplay goes for a toss and Rajasekhar’s character loses steam completely.
The villains do not have a proper characterization in the film. Their villainism does not reach any emotional peaks and as a result, the required intensity is missing from the story line.
There is zero comedy in the film. Viewers who seek casual entertainment will be disappointed
Technical Aspects :
Jeevitha Rakasekhar has succeeded partially in the first half as a director. But she loses the plot completely in the second half. Editing is ok. Screenplay is bad. Cinematography is just about ok and is in keeping with the film’s budget.
Background score is effective.
Verdict :
Mahankaali is a routine and boring cop saga. A powerful performance from Rajasekhar and some nice moments in the first half are the only plus points. The film may find some support atC center theatres but it is unlikely to find any encouragement from A and B Center viewers.
