Madhagaja movie review: Three cheers for Sriimurali, as he owns this mass entertainer and how!

3.5/5

Story: Surya, an orphan who grows up among the pyres at the cremation ghat in Varanasi, is accustomed to a life of violence. He finds his purpose in dealing in real estate that’s mired in litigation, taking care of any obstacles along the way. When one such deal brings him to a village in Karnataka, he not only gets caught in the territorial struggle that’s been going on for years, but also finds out that his connection to the place is more than he reckoned.

Review: My ears are still ringing from all the whistling and hooting in the theatre for the first show of Madhagaja this morning. That should tell you just how much the audience enjoyed every moment of Roaring Star Sriimurali’s most-latest release. Director S Mahesh Kumar, whose claim to fame was the romantic comedy Ayogya, shows us here that he's a filmmaker who can handle hardcore commercial cinema with elan; at least for the most part.

Yes, Madhagaja may feel and look like a mix of Ugramm, Mufti or even KGF, but there’s nothing wrong in being inspired, when you chose the best from each and adapt it to your own story. And that’s exactly what Mahesh has done with the film. 

Madhagaja is the story of Surya, an orphan who grows up in Varanasi, and ends up in a small hamlet in Karnataka on ‘work’. This assignment brings him to the household of Dorai (Jagapathi Babu) and Rathnamma (Devyani), where he finds out about the long battle the former has been waging against Bhairava (Anil) and Tandava (Ram) who have forcefully taken away land from the rightful owners and shut down water supply to the area. Along the way, Surya realizes that his assignment is a lot more personal than he thought.

Madhagaja is a Sriimurali vehicle from start to finish and boy does he deliver, be it in the action sequences, drama or romance. There’s no faulting him at any step. The actor is also in great physical shape, which Mahesh and cinematographer Naveen Kumar lovingly capture multiple times in the course of the film. But just as delightful as Sriimurali is Jagapathi Babu in Madhagaja; the veteran actor’s towering presence has to be seen, and felt, on the big screen.

Poor Ashika Ranganath! The actress was excited about her first commercial film and the fact that she was playing a langa-dhavani clad village belle. Well, the actress sure looks nice in this avatar, but that also means that she gets an introduction scene that’s more about her midriff and bosom, as she takes a swig of water that seductively flows down her mouth and neck. You get the drift, right! It’s a commercial film with loads of action after all, so, most of the supporting cast have little to do, but do justice to their limited screen space. Rangayana Raghu, Chikkanna, Shivraj KR Pete and Dharmanna Kaddur are also on the cast and bring a few chuckles, but those are few and far between.

For a first-time effort at making a film on this scale, Mahesh deserves a pat on the back. My only grouse was that after all the build-up of the first half and most of the second, the climax felt rushed and a tad disappointing – almost as if the writer in him ran out of steam.

Verdict: Madhagaja is a classy mass entertainer and that is perhaps why despite the ample doses of violence and bloodshed it managed to get a U/A censor certificate. Despite the mother-son sentiment or the romantic angle, this is, well and truly, only for those who like commercial action flicks, with their bombastic punchlines and beautifully choreographed slo-mo stunt sequences.