Film critics are impressed with Mahesh Babu's and other actors' acting and production values in Maharshi but they are a bit unhappy with director Vamshi Paidipally's predictable, slow and lengthy narration.
Written by Vamshi Paidipally, Maharshi is about three college friends Rishi Kumar (Mahesh Babu), Pooja (Pooja Hegde) and Ravi (Allari Naresh). But Rishi breaks up with Pooja and has a small fight with Ravi. He leaves for the USA to pursue a better life. However, after he learns a secret about Ravi, Rishi repents and comes back to India. How he helps Ravi and the villagers forms the crux of the movie.
Critics say that Vamshi Paidipally has picked up an interesting theme, but forced too many subplots and unnecessary scenes in its screenplay. These aspects make its narration tad slow, lengthy and predictable in parts. Mahesh Babu's comedy and dialogues keep the viewers entertained in the first half. The second half is high on emotional quotient and the last 30 minutes of the film will leave you spellbound.
Maharshi is Mahesh Babu's 25th movie and the superstar has given a brilliant performance, which is the highlight of the film. Pooja Hegde, Allari Naresh and Prakash Raj have also done their best. The movie has good production elements and music, action, picturisation and dialogues are the attractions on the technical front, add the critics.
Maharshi has been rated an average of 3 out of 5 stars by the critics. We bring you some critics' verdict and ratings for their movie post on various websites. Scroll down to see them.
123Telugu Rating: 3.25
Maharshi is the journey of a man who finds his roots back in his motherland. Who better than Mahesh Babu to portray all this which has been narrated in an emotional manner by Vamsi Paidipally. Top-notch performances, decent humor, relatable social message, and Mahesh's screen presence are main assets. If you ignore the slow pace and slightly predictable second half, this film has in it to work with a major section of the audience and the holiday summer season will help the film in a big way.
Gulte Rating: 2.75
Maharshi has its moments here and there, but fails to maintain the momentum for a longer stretches. It is good in parts, but falls short of expectations on a whole. Mahesh doing better films with similar themes also turns out to be a hindrance for it. Maharshi's box office journey will largely depend upon Mahesh Babu's pull and fan power.
First Post Rating: 3
Paidipally packs in way too much to justify the journey undertaken by the protagonist. The college segment, in particular, is dragged a tad too much. It is just way too much information about what kind of a guy Rishi is and the lack of emotional high makes it quite bland. Thankfully, the film gets better and better as it progresses. The second half is well-directed, even though the story itself might feel familiar. The best part is that it gives us a lot of solid moments to root for the protagonist and that is what matters in the end.
Times of India Rating: 3
Maharshi is a simple story weighed down by unnecessary, commercial elements. But do go watch this one if you're a Mahesh Babu fan, you will enjoy it if the claps and screams in the theatre this reviewer went to are anything to go by. Watch it not just for Mahesh Babu and Allari Naresh's performances but also for the story, if you don't mind all the bells and whistles it comes with. It might not be entertaining all through, thanks to the draggy bits, but its heart is in the right place.
Hindustan Times Rating: 3
Maharshi is a problematic film with big ideas but it tugs at heartstrings. Take out the farming sub-plot, Maharshi would've been a tiresome watch in which Rishi just won't shut up with his sermons on success.
Great Andhra Rating: 2.75
Maharshi has its moments and is shot in a glossy way, presents some good instants but the journey is riddled with many bumps.
