HYDERABAD: Regardless of how well Gautamiputra Satakarni does, the audience will remember the dialogue ‘Samayamu Ledu Mithrama.’ It won’t be long before the dialogue is set as ringtones or callertunes and memes are made out of it. It’s also one of the several punch dialogues that Nandamuri Balakrishna delivers in a way only he can. Considering this is Balakrishna’s 100th film and is being directed by Krish, who just received a national award, expectations had reached a crescendo. And the director delivers in some style.
While the war scenes are a bit far-fetched at times, Gautamiputra Satakarni is a visual spectacle. The film tells the story of a young boy who dreams of ruling over a borderless society, to ensure unity and peace. The boy Satakarni (Nandamuri Balakrishna) soon turns into a ruthless ruler and begins conquering his neighbouring kingdoms with his might and lust for glory. Each kingdom he conquers, Satakarni annexes to his Satavahana empire and nothing stops him from trying to achieve his boyhood dream, not even deploying his own son on to the battlefield. He does so despite strong objection from his wife Vasishti (Shriya Saran).
In a critical moment, Satakarni defies patriarchal customs in the society and performs an agra puja to his mother (Hema Malini) before taking the throne, and calls himself Gautamiputra Satakarni. With people constantly questioning his thirst for war, Satakarni justifies it saying ‘margalu veraina, gamyam okkate’ (Our paths maybe different but the destination is the same).
However, the path is long for Satakarni, who has to fight both internal and external enemies to become the ultimate ruler and achieve his dream of unity. There’s unabashed grandeur on display in Gautamiputra Satakarni, with excellent cinematography (by Gnana Sekhar), powerful dialogues (by Sai Madhav Burra) and splendid costumes (by Neeta Lulla). There’s an emotional connect with each other, which ensures that the viewer isn’t just watching a history lesson. However, the language is very chaste, so you might need subtitles to help you understand the dialogues.
As always, Balakrishna does the impossible. In the middle of an intense battle, he manages to leap into the enemy fort and single-handedly kills dozens of men with a strike of his sword. He also gets poisoned but magically wakes up and rushes to the battle field (where he once again slays people with effortless ease). The battles are also lengthy and drawn out, and lose their intensity after a point. You often end up waiting for the battle to end so that they can get on with it.