On July 30, 2009, cinegoers were in for a biggest surprise. Though their expectations from SS Rajamouli, the maker of Simhadri, and Geetha Arts
were top-notch, there was not an inch of disappointment in them. In a rare case, they found that the film called Magadheera exceeded their five-star expectations.
Magadheera had Ram Charan Tej, a 22-year old in the lead and a heroine whose image among the masses did not equal Anushka's or Trisha's. Yet the film went on to break all records in the long history of Telugu cinema in no time. While the former became an enthusiastically-followed star, what with the formal announcement of his next film becoming a closely-Watched event in Tollywood and outside, the latter bagged a bevy of offers since.
Critics said that the film was going to be the year's most important film even by 11 am on the day of its release. Their predictions came true when the film surpassed the humongous popularity of Arundhathi in no time. Perhaps the most popular Telugu film in recent times, the moolah it raked in has made Bollywood moghuls sit and take note of its subject.
The film is the story of Kalabhairava, a warrior, and his muse Mitravindha, a princess. How their love saga ends abruptly in the 17th century owing to the wily machinations of Randhev Billa (Dev Gill) who commits treason by joining hands with Sher Khan (Sri Hari), an invader who wants to keep the whole of Bharath under his thumbs, is pictured in a never-seen-before style. They reincarnate as Harsh and Indu in the 21st century and rest of the story forms how the Magadheera in jeans takes upon Billa's modern avatar. This magnum opus is the first South Indian film to be made with Hollywood-kinda technical finesse and surprisingly the extravaganza was made silently. Not many days before the release did we know that the film was about reincarnation. Not many, even Chiranjeevi family's fanatical fans, had faith in the 1-film old Charan whose performance in his first film was not critically appreciated. Putting up an outstanding performance, he caught the imagination of everyone by playing an atypical character with ease.
But, it was Rajamouli's show all the way. It was his vision that was evident in the heroism of a patriot-lover and in the megalomaniacal cruelty of the villains. Probably this one has been the most intense film since Indra and Simhadri. Infallible treatment and right on the track. He extracts perfection from every department that counts in an action-based historical film - art, costumes, action, and last but not least, KK Senthil Kumar's sumptuous camera which captures the proceedings with precision.
It will not be easy for Tollywood to surpass the watermark of Magadheera. The coming years will see a revolution in the way South Indian films, especially Telugu films, are made. There will be a mania among the stars, producers and directors in the Hyderabad industry to overwhelm the record of Magadheera. And yes, as a film that has scored century-day run in 223 centres, the Allu Aravind production will redefine the term 'record'. After 100 days, the film that made Ram Charan Tej a star overnight, and raised the bar in the technical departments is one of the most-written about films in India.
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