The problem with films aligning with a particular trend is that they are always playing catch-up. Filmmakers have to hope the trend does not reach saturation anytime soon.
Mahendragiri Varahi, a Telugu supernatural thriller that has been in the making for a few years, feels stale for the same reason.
Surprisingly, it proceeds along the same lines as Santhosh Jagarlapudi and 
A ghost-busting YouTuber, Siddharth (Sumanth), refuses to buy this theory and sets out to find the answers himself. A strange intro sequence unfolds in a temple near the Indo-Bhutan border, where the spirit of a dead man is believed to consume all offerings from visitors by night, and the fear of its presence prevents any untoward activity in the vicinity.
Mahendragiri Varahi (Telugu)
Director: Santhosh Jagarlapudi
Cast: Sumanth, Meenakshi Goswami
Runtime: 154 minutes
Storyline: An atheist YouTuber probes into the mysterious death of a family member in a superstitious village
At the same time, another royal descendant, Narendra (Vamsee Chaganti), is confident of not falling prey to the curse that claimed his forefathers, thanks to an elderly priest’s intervention. How do Siddharth and Narendra’s worlds merge, and what brings the former to the village? A typical post-interval flashback connects the dots, after which the protagonist does the needful.
Though unoriginal, the film creates tension and urgency in the first half, laying the foundation for Siddharth’s character and the primary conflict around the curse. The film sticks to the plot, avoiding much fluff or needless commercial distractions to pander to the masses.
Adhering to the time-tested thriller template, a twist is reserved for the interval episode, offering a hook to trace the identities of multiple characters. Presenting the clan’s backstory through a harikatha is an impressive idea, but precious time is lost in conveying the obvious, and the melodramatic tone doesn’t help.
The film did not sustain my interest thereafter. A cameo by a popular female actor leads the protagonist to the truth, and he is tested to an extent while ultimately emerging victorious. The climax feels like a nod to the current sociopolitical climate where several generations continue to carry anger for the injustice meted out to their ancestors.
Irrespective of the film’s issues, the suggestion that revenge is not a panacea for all problems is timely. While the director displays a reasonable hold over the human drama, the writing is poor, and the storytelling is as old as the hills. The budgetary limitations show up quite often, especially with the choice of locations and the jarring visual effects.
The thread around a fake spiritual healer, who tries to mislead his visitors with a hallucination trick, is partially engaging, though the selective portrayal of a community feels exploitative. Tweaking a few genre tropes could have enhanced its appeal. While the film is woven around a female deity, the women lack agency, as men remain both the victims and the problem solvers.
The screenplay is particularly tiring because it diligently subscribes to conventions and preset industry patterns. It wants to ride along the mythological tide without offering anything new. Sumanth’s unwavering presence is the only reason the film is tolerable to a point. A few casting choices like
