Martin Luther King Movie Review: Martin Luther King, starring Sampoornesh Babu and based on the critically acclaimed Tamil film Mandela, was released today. Let’s see how the film turns out.
Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
Starring
Sampoornesh Babu, Maha, Naresh, Chakradhar, Raghavan, Venkatesh, Sharanya Pradeep.
Director
Pooja Kolluru
Cinematographer
Deepak Yaragera
Music Director
Smaran Sai
Story
In Padamarapadu, two brothers, Jagjivan Ram (Naresh) and Lokmanya Tilak (Venkatesh Maha), aspire to be village president. Their election takes an unusual turn when they divide voters by caste, resulting in a tie. Smile (Sampoornesh Babu), a humble cobbler, holds the decisive vote. The plot progresses as we see the brothers’ efforts to win Smile’s vote, his transformation into Martin Luther King, and the tense reveal of his choice.
Plus Points
Martin Luther King has a nice premise and is complemented by a commendable performance from Sampoornesh Babu, who fits the role of an innocent cobbler perfectly. This is arguably the actor’s best performance to date.
Sharanya Pradeep’s role as Vasantha, while minor, has a significant impact on the film. Naresh and Venkatesh Maha also give their all to make the film watchable.
The remaining cast members also give good performances. Also, the climax is entertaining to watch and is nicely elevated by the score. – Martin Luther King Movie Review
The director deserves praise for shedding light on the persistence of casteism in villages and the mistreatment of lower-caste individuals, which is still prevalent in many remote villages in India today.
Minus Points
The plot, while intriguing and thought-provoking, falls short due to a lackluster narration. Venkatesh Maha could have written a better screenplay, particularly in the first half.
Despite the fact that Naresh and Venkatesh Maha play important roles, debut director Puja Aparna Kolluru should have written stronger character arcs to make the characters more impactful in the story.
The comedy sprinkled throughout is adequate, but more comedy scenes in this political comedy-drama could have made it a more enjoyable experience.
Director Puja could have added one or two interesting scenes to emphasize the importance of voting and equality. Venkatesh Maha could have improved this political comedy by including a few hard-hitting dialogues to elicit thought from the audience.
Many of the characters in the film are unfamiliar to the audience, making it difficult for them to connect with them. Several scenes in the first half feel drawn out, and the second half feels repetitive.
Technical Aspects
The debut director Puja Aparna Kolluru skillfully handles the production, yet a more polished screenplay in the initial stages might have led to a different outcome.
Smaran Sai’s songs and scores meet the requirements. Deepak Yaragera’s cinematography meets the expected standards, and Puja Kolluru’s editing, though satisfactory, has room for improvement in the first half. Removing unnecessary scenes to create a smoother runtime could have been beneficial. The production values are sufficient.
Final Verdict
Overall, Martin Luther King presents a compelling idea, but the film suffers from a slow screenplay, making for an unsatisfactory cinematic experience. Sampoornesh Babu gives a passable performance that works well for the movie’s needs, and Venkatesh Maha, Sharanya, and Naresh also give good performances. The second half of the movie has a lot of repetitions and unneeded pacing problems. It’s a good idea to think about other movie options if you’re looking for something to watch this weekend.