Khaleja

t is the tale of a common man fighting corporate greed. Raju (Mahesh) is a taxi driver who gets embroiled in the death of a scientist and his friend. As circumstances would have it, he goes to Rajasthan to hand over the insurance money to the family of Dilawar Singh (the scientists’ friend) who thuds to a terrifying death on the top of his taxi. In Rajasthan, Raju (again) meets Subhasini, who in her previous (four) encounters has bought him nothing but trouble. On their way back to A.P, Raju gets stabbed and (after a John Woo inspired ballet-like fight sequence with the baddies) is rescued by a mysterious Siddha (Shafi). When he regains conscious Raju is in a remote village in North Andhra region called Paali, which incidentally is sitting atop billions of dollars worth of Iridium. The villages call him saamy (God) and expect him to save their hapless hamlet from a mysterious disease that is plaguing them. The story (after many intriguing twists and turns) leads Raju into the path of the villainous G K (an excellent portrayal by Prakash Raj) who meets his end in the hands of Raju in one of the best climax sequences seen on a Telugu film screen. Everything – just about everything, to begin with Mahesh is heroism personified. He gives his (Raju) character the impish charm of Tom Cruise and the reckless abandon of a James Dean. Trivikram adds nativity with (his brand of) situational humor that leaves you with numerous healthy chuckles through the film. Ram-Laxman’s fight sequences have grace and gore. Every one of them gives you an adrenalin rush the likes of which you have never experienced before. Anushka has a good role and breezes through it efficiently. But the star is Mahesh. He switches between rage and romance with an ease that borders on envy. He delivers Trivakram’s one-liners with a terrific timing. The humor is healthy and it balances the breathless pace in the second half. Bhatt’s photography especially in the locales at Rajasthan is breathtaking and rustic. Khaleja is proof that Tollywood can unleash a power-packed punch. Mahesh is hero material and in the hands of a director like Trivikram his character’s heroism radiates a white hot heat. Trivikram’s story telling has soul. Mahesh has style and substance to spare. The end result is terrific entertainment. Don’t take my word. Watch it and soak in the experience.

Mahesh Babu is back after a hiatus and the expectations have been high on this ‘Khaleja’. Given the title controversy, the mileage was sufficient. Sitarama Raju (Mahesh) is a taxi driver who comes to Rajasthan searching for a person’s family. He chances upon Gemini TV person (Sunil) and reveals his story of coming there. This also includes his encounters with Subhashini (Anushka) whose presence brings in bad luck and loss. On the other hand, there is Siddhappa (Shafi) who is sent by his guru (Rao Ramesh) in search of a god sent man who can protect the village from a death threat and extinction. One thing happens after the other and Sitarama Raju comes across Siddhappa who believes that Raju is the man. Meanwhile, Subhashini’s father (Tanikella) is planning to get her engaged to the son of GK (Prakashraj) who has got a motive behind it. How are all these people connected and what happens after that forms the rest of the story. Mahesh Babu is a complete show stealer in the film. He is highly energetic and his dialogue delivery stands apart. Unlike his regular mild approach with one liners, he rolls out flurry of words and entertains. As for his looks, he is handsome as ever and has made his presence felt strongly. Anushka looks gorgeous and special focus has been made on her legs when it comes to dialogues. Her screen chemistry with Mahesh was neat and not much of a skin show from her this time. Prakashraj was brief and he did his bit as required. Perhaps the etching of his character should have been more powerful. That would have given strength to the villain image and good climax. The comedy track of Ali, Sunil gave few laughs. Brahmi was funny at few places, Tanikella was elegant, Subbaraju made his presence felt, Rao Ramesh was excellent, Shafi was impressive, Dharmavarapu and M S were brief. The others did their bit as required. Analysis: One who lives for his own self is considered to be dead. One who lives for others with unselfishness and love live forever Swami Vivekananda