Hari Hara Veera Mallu Review

After an arduous production stretch of over five years due to budgetary constraints and its lead star's political commitments, Hari Hara Veera Mallu Part 1 - starring Pawan Kalyan, the superstar turned Andhra Pradesh Deputy CM - has finally hit the screens today. However, the long wait doesn't quite translate to cinematic brilliance. What unfolds feels like a lukewarm concoction of action, slow-motion spectacle, romance, and CGI, VFX and green screen, all simmered on a high flame for too long. To top it off, the film leans heavily on a by-now-familiar recipe of Hindu nationalist overtones - invoking calls to protect religion, uphold dharma, and, for good measure, rally once again against the tyrant Aurangzeb.

Veera Mallu (Pawan Kalyan) is a Robin Hood-like outlaw who robs the rich to uplift the poor. Recognising his skills, a regional king (Sachin Khedekar) secretly commissions him to steal a cache of priceless diamonds. During the heist, Mallu crosses paths with and falls for Panchami (Nidhhi Agerwal), a devadasi. He is then captured by Golconda soldiers.

Rather than punishment, he is given a new mission by the Qutb Shahi Nawab of Golconda (Dilip Tahil): infiltrate the Mughal palace and steal the legendary Koh-i-Noor diamond from Emperor Aurangzeb (Bobby Deol). But Mallu has his own hidden agenda - one that goes beyond diamonds and delves into resistance, rebellion and redemption.

From the very beginning, the cracks in the movie are hard to miss, whether in direction, storytelling, VFX or post-production. The movie visibly shifts in tone and texture, almost as if it were made by two different teams. Turns out, it was. The first half - relatively more cohesive and engaging - was helmed by Krish Jagarlamudi. But creative differences with Pawan Kalyan led to Krish stepping away, and the reins of the second half were taken over by A M Jyothi Krishna, son of producer A M Rathnam. Unfortunately, this is where the film derails. The pacing becomes erratic, the framing clumsy and the visuals noticeably subpar. The heavy reliance on green screen in the latter half, coupled with poorly integrated CGI backdrops, makes for an amateurish and jarring viewing experience.

The first half follows a clear narrative arc - Mallu's build-up, his heists, action sequences and romantic moments unfold with a certain cohesion and freshness. However, once Emperor Aurangzeb enters the frame, the story loses its footing. Mallu's mission abruptly shifts from stealing the Koh-i-Noor to a larger, vaguely defined crusade to protect dharma. This sudden turn feels forced and derails the momentum. It is not just the technical flaws that bog the film down in the second half - the script itself turns tedious, making it increasingly hard to sit through the movie.

Several sequences in the film border on the absurd. In one scene, Mallu tames a tiger - and later, an entire pack of wolves - with nothing more than an intense stare. Another stretches believability even further: a horseback journey from Golconda to Delhi through treacherous, rock-strewn terrain, with boulders conveniently tumbling along the path. The most outlandish moment, however, involves a 100-foot stone pillar crashing down on Mallu - only for him to emerge unscathed and go on to rescue none other than Aurangzeb from a supernatural storm. Suspension of disbelief is one thing - this asks for complete surrender.

Fierce stares and stylised fight moves notwithstanding, Pawan Kalyan doesn't quite convince as Veera Mallu, the legendary fictional outlaw. He looks worn out, as if he has just returned from a long election campaign. However, he surprises with his graceful dance as Panchami's lover. His dialogue delivery remains sharp and impactful.

Nidhhi Agerwal, as the devadasi and Mallu's beloved, is given too little screen time to leave a lasting impression. The casting of Kalyan and Agerwal as romantic leads feels mismatched - while both are competent actors individually, their onscreen chemistry simply doesn't click.

Bobby Deol brings gravitas to Aurangzeb, delivering a performance that blends authority and menace, echoing shades of his role in Animal. His role in this movie is brief. However, the way the film ends suggests he will have a meatier role in Part 2.

On the technical front, M M Keeravani delivers commendably in the song sequences and background score, lending the film some emotional weight and grandeur. Unfortunately, beyond that, the rest of the technical departments - cinematography, editing, VFX, CGI and art direction - fall flat. The film relies heavily on green screen, but the results are disappointing. The visuals often appear cheap and poorly executed, lacking the finesse one expects from a big-budget production. The film reportedly cost Rs 250 crore, but looks nowhere like that.

With the steep ticket prices, Hari Hara Veera Mallu hardly justifies a theatrical outing. You are better off waiting for its Amazon Prime release - if you choose to watch it at all. Let's hope for a better Part 2.