Released last week in Maharashtra, Gujarat, U.P. and East Punjab, Bridge Films and Rajashyamala Entertainments’ Mahendragiri Varahi (dubbed from the Telugu film of the same name; UA) is about a YouTuber who decides to unearth the mystery behind the deaths of males in a dynasty.
A curse by Goddess Varahi haunts the Mahendragiri dynasty, because of which all the men belonging to it die at the age of 33. The curse has continued over generations in spite of all efforts by the dynasty to appease the Goddess. Siddharth (Sumanth), a YouTuber from Hyderabad, takes it upon himself to find out the mystery behind the deaths.
Santhosh Jagarlapudi has written a story and screenplay, which look like a job of convenience. Although the drama starts well, the audience wonder why divine intervention happens only towards the end. The emotional quotient, which should have been high, is found lacking. The drama bores at places. Dialogues are fair.
Sumanth does a sincere job as YouTuber Siddharth. Meenakshi Goswami is alright. Brahmanandam is fair. Vamsi Chaganti acts ably. Vennela Kishore has his moments. Mohammad Ali is okay. Rajasekhar Aningi is so-so. Manju Bhargavi has her moments. Kamal Kamaraju, Rajeev Kanakala, Malvika Nair, Sathyasai Srinivas and Yogesh Sakalam provide decent support. Aishwarya Rajesh stands out in a brief role. Siddhu Jonnalagadda shines in a cameo appearance.
Santhosh Jagarlapudi’s direction is average. Anup Rubens’ music is ordinary. Pratap R. Krishna’s cinematography is fairly nice. Visual effects are not up to the mark. The use of AI is shabby. CH Krishna’s art direction is so-so. Junaid Siddiqui’s editing leaves something to be desired. Dubbing is ordinary.
On the whole, Mahendragiri Varahi stands bleak chances in Hindi.