It’s a love story. It’s a hate story. It’s a human story. It’s a pest story. Director S.S. Rajamauli had this wacky idea for his Telugu blockbuster Eega. After seeing its Hindi dubbed version Makkhi, one just marvels how well it has captured the human spirit through an unlikely medium of an insect!
What’s the plot?
A ruthless, lecherous tycoon (Sudeep) sets his eyes upon a young beauty (Samantha), only to find that she is in love with someone else(Naveen). True to his nature, the evil businessman gets his competition out of the way by killing off the youngster. Wonder of wonders, the dead lover is reborn almost immediately in the form of (Hold your breath!) a house fly!
With odds heavily stacked against it, the fly – the Makkhi now plans revenge against the cold-blooded killer. But the re-born lover will also need to get his girl-friend on his side. Together, will they be able to plot the villain’s downfall?
What’s hot?
· A totally out-of-the box idea for a romance-vengeance saga.
· Excellent lead performances. The young lovers (Naveen and Samantha) are adorable but the villain (Sudeep) is simply brilliant. Actually it is his performance (a baffled bad man getting bested in an altercation with a pesky pest!) which makes this film a joy to watch.
· Director succeeds in blending the animation and human elements into a rollicking, engaging entertainer.
What’s not?
· Animation standards and ideas have received a lot of accolades. But I felt that they could have been better. After a while, once the initial admiration fades away, the animation part starts to feel like the weak link.
· Some of the ideas seem to be borrowed from Hollywood films like Mouse Hunt and Stuart Little.
· Slightly stretched second half.
Verdict
Seldom do you come across a totally unexpected twist in a romantic triangle-cum-revenge drama. Makkhi is one such film, which succeeds in making a hero out of a house-fly. It is a fun-ride; a feel-good David Versus Goliath battle and an unusual film, which is not to be missed for its sheer innovative story-telling!
Kesariya Balam
