Some of my thoughts on watching this Trivikram Srinivas directorial in the theatres (earlier I watched the movie only in bits on tv). He has redefined the concept of god through a taxi driver played by a brilliant Mahesh Babu.
The concept of re releases in Tollywood has caught up in a big way. Many older movies are re releasing in theatres today with upgraded technology. A recent example of this is Raghavender Rao’s Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari. For people like me who haven’t watched it in theatres or haven’t seen it as a whole there’s a lot to enjoy in how he has created a magical world. Junior NTR’s Yamadonga and Prabhas’s Varsham have also seen a re release in the recent times.
Khaleja during its initial release didn’t have a great run due to many not getting the whacky concept. However over the years Khaleja has achieved cult status specifically for the characterization of Mahesh Babu. The scenes of Mahesh Babu looked upon by a group of people as god and the absurd situations his character finds himself in raises many chuckles even today. Of course the same absurd situations led to the movie backfiring at that time because a large chunk of viewers had difficulty in understanding how a taxi driver can be a god. But if one scratches beneath the surface we will understand Trivikram Srinivas is not talking about the character being a literal god.
For those who are not familiar with the storyline of Khaleja it primarily revolves around Mahesh Babu’s Raju also called as Alluri Sitarama Raju. A series of incidents leads Mahesh Babu to become a saviour for a remote village. This village is suffering from a mysterious disease leading to several deaths. This is the story in brief.
A standout aspect in Khaleja is the redefining of god not as an external element but as an individual persona. The movie goes beyond the stereotypical representation of god associated with temples and rituals. Instead the movie explores god being present in the actions we do, how the god within us comes out when we stand up for people. This is an important message.
Another important theme in Khaleja is that of environmentalism. The angle of illegal mining explores the consequences of unchecked destruction. How unlimited greed is bad for mankind and the environment has been brought out wonderfully through the character of Prakash Raj.
Mahesh Babu’s performance in Khaleja is easily his best act till date. There are many layers to Raju with ample scope for histrionics, Mahesh Babu truly did a swell job whether it is the scenes of bewilderment with Rao Ramesh and Shafi, or the more volatile ones. The sheer intensity which he brings in the action sequences is an example of an actor who can do much more. The same goes for Trivikram who is stuck in the zone of Ala Vaikuntapuramuloo, a staleness has crept into his formula of family dramas which the director needs to recover from. Another highlight of Khaleja is the performances of Rao Ramesh and Shafi. The conviction with which they play their outlandish characters is such a delight to watch. Mani Sharma’s music is a mixed bag with Sada Siva standing out. In fact the songs come across as more of speed breakers disrupting the flow. The romantic track between Mahesh Babu and Anushka Shetty has its moments, particularly the comic scenes, but overall it is patchily written.
Final word: Here’s hoping that Khaleja gets its deserved due in the re release posting good numbers,
