Murari - Apuroopa Chitrotsavam

Banter has become the only unique part of the modern, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun genre movies. The rest of the films, with about 20 persons dancing and laughing in every colorful frame, are a lazy scriptwriter's delight. So the only person for whom any creative challenges are involved is dialogue writer, since he has to do the same old stuff but do it differently each time.

Murari is a typical Hum Aapke Hain Kaun kind of film with all the fun and laughter and the goodness among the people. Even though two families having matrimonial relations between them have not met for over two decades, they still have love and affection, with hardly a shred of ill will. They are so fond of each other that you begin to wonder why it was necessary for them to separate in the first place.

Murari (Mahesh Babu) who hails from the Satti Pandu (Satyanarayana) family accompanies his elder sister-in-law Gopi (Lakshmi) when she goes to her parents' place alone - that is to Chanti's (Gollapudi Maruti Rao) family for her yearly family reunion. Murari meets Vasu - yani Vasundhara (Sonali Bendre) - and after making fun of her and teasing her to the hilt till she sheds tears unable to bear the agony, he makes his mind clear about his amorous intentions. She too forgives him and they fall in love.

But fate has a different course set out for them. The Satti Pandu family is cursed by Devi Maa, and according to the curse every 48 years one of the family members meets with a violent death. As this is the fourth 48th year, the suspense builds up as to who in the family is the unfortunate one to give his life for the goddess.

Murari starts off on a good note with the desecration of the temple by Prakash Raj for money, and builds up an interesting story as to how three members of their family cursed by Devi Maa give up their lives. But the story soon loses its steam as we know for sure the sacrificial lamb. Instead of concentrating on this aspect, the director tries to make people laugh with a foolish love story that we see in almost all pictures. A gang of not less than 20 people is seen in every frame at any given point of time commending the hero for his stupid acts. As the movie progresses you keep wondering whether it is necessary to have so many people in the film.

Mahesh Babu acts and behaves like a superhero. So Sonali Bendre with all her brains and intelligence needs to play second fiddle to him. And she puts in a good performance. Lakshmi sobs and sobs talking of her love for Mahesh Babu, and after a time it becomes irritating. The others have nothing much to do except for praising Mahesh Babu for his glorious deeds. It is an okay movie and if at all there is anything appealing it is the cinematography, which is good if not brilliant.

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