Madhagaja
(Kannada/Theatres)
Cast: Sriimurali, Ashika Ranganath, Jagapathi Babu, Chikkanna
Director: S Mahesh Kumar
Rating: 1.5/5
Over a dozen fights, untimely songs, mindless celebration of bloodshed, needless melodrama and a flawed plot make 'Madhagaja' an insufferable experience.
It is a tale of rivalry for water between two leaders from the fictional villages of Shivagadh and Gajendragadh. Apart from stopping water to his neighbouring village, the antagonist also grabs agricultural lands of gullible farmers. This escalates the rivalry, leading to brutal killings.
Shivagadh’s leader (Jagapathi Babu) fights for the rightful demands of the villagers. In the end, the good prevails over the bad, compelling the antagonist to meet the tragic end he deserves.
Right from the first scene, the film defies all logic. Sriimurali single-handedly takes on several goons and overpowers them without getting hurt. The flick has many such ridiculous moments.
The film's emotional quotient doesn't evoke any feelings. If the mother sentiment angle tests our patience, the romance between Sriimurali and Ashika Ranganath is frivolous.
Director Mahesh Kumar's narration goes haywire with a highly predictable plot. He ropes in artistes from different film industries for a pan India movie doesn't portray them convincingly.
Barring Sriimurali, Rangayana Raghu and Babu, other actors fail to impress. The biggest let down is Devayani in the role of mother.
Ravi Basrur does his bit in torturing the audience as his high decibel background score wreaks havoc on the eardrums. The film's cinematography draws attention and a couple of action sequences are the rare positives.
The big-budgeted 'Madhagaja' (produced by Umapathy Gowda), was expected to lift the pandemic-hit Sandalwood. Unfortunately Mahesh Kumar, who debuted with Sathish Ninasam's 'Ayogya' (2018), falls flat in all departments to deliver a massive dud.