Maa Inti Bangaram blends family emotions, humour, music, and action into an engaging entertainer powered by a commanding performance from Samantha.
Maa Inti Bangaram Review by Rajeshwari Kalyanam
Director Nandini Reddy, backed by producers Raj Nidimoru, Himank Duvvuru and Tralala Movies, delivers a delightful film with hearty comedy, emotion, dance and music that define a family entertainer, but packed with well-choreographed action sequences seamlessly stitched into the story and delivered in palatable portions to amp up the thrill quotient.
At the centre of the story is Samantha, the hero of the film — Swarna aka Jhansi — a smart woman who is mischievous, loving and trying every trick in the book to win over her husband’s family. She is vying for attention that is reserved for the younger daughter-in-law of the house, who everyone loves and who is the “Maa Inti Bangaram” for all. This stereotypical competitive setting gets more and more relatable on several levels, loaded with fun in the first half, which also reveals another side of her.
Here is Swarna, who does not leave an opportunity to get back at anyone, even if it is her husband, albeit in a fun way, when he jokingly tells her how she took him away from his family. Beneath her sweet and innocent demeanour is a drama queen.
The movie takes a turn when it is revealed that Swarna has a backstory — a violent one at that — which threatens to endanger her family. It is now up to her to protect her family at all costs.
The film wins over the audience like the out-and-out family entertainers of all times, with colourful families, sons-in-law, daughters, daughters-in-law, aunts and grandmothers filling the screen from edge to edge, wedding songs and humorous conversations, and then thoroughly engages when action takes over.
Gulshan Devaiah, Diganth Manchale, Gautami, Sreemukhi, Manjusha Mukkavilli, Chaitanya Krishna and veteran actors Sreelakshmi and Srinivas Gavireddy are among the ensemble cast.
Music by Santosh Narayanan and dance choreography by Posi Verma, which became famous even before the film was released, are major pluses for the film.
Story by Nandini Reddy and the writing by Vasanth Mariganti and Raj Nidimoru could have become yet another stereotypical Telugu film if it were not for the way they treated their characters with respect — small or big, male and especially female roles. While the ensemble cast delivered their bits well, Samantha shines in the many frames that she fills with grace, understated yet effective emotions, impeccable timing in comedy sequences, and smooth action. The action choreography must be commended — there is never a dull moment as she wields everything from a garite to a gun while thrashing bad men. Spectacular Samantha steals the show through and through.
While Samantha carries this film on her shoulders — a multifaceted hero that she has grown to be — the film is not without its shortcomings. The backstory looks hurried and is a lost opportunity, while in the second half the narrative loses pace in some crucial moments.
Yet, it wins hearts. For once, let us not call it a female oriented film; it is a family-action entertainer. Director Nandini Reddy tells the world how to make a commercial film with strong female characters and how they can co-exist with strong male characters. She gets her cast and crew so right.
Rating: – 3.75/5
