Popular reviews

• 

  Review by M S Krishna Prateek 4

  17 years of SIMHADRI: My first Jr NTR film in a theatre, my first SSR film in a theatre, or for that matter even my first pure mass commercial movie in a⁣ theatre and a 6-year-old-me couldn't remember much from that viewing except the eruption of theatre on hearing the scream "Singamalai annaaaaaaa"! 20-year-old Tarak as "Andhra Simhadari" aka "Kerala Singamalai" \m/⁣⁣
  ⁣⁣
  A well-made commercial entertainer is not all about the buildup scenes but is about the emotional buildup towards that particular scene and in this regard, Jakkanna kept getting better and better over the years in his career, but Simhadri will always be special for establishing the commercial aesthetic⁣ of SS Rajamouli, be it his way of directing…

• 

  Review by Justin Decloux

  Darn. I saw this months ago but never logged it. So, here it is!

  I don't remember much about it beyond the fact that it featured some delightful attempts at Hong Kong-style action and in the end the hero killed a hundred people with an axe.

• 

  Review by Surya | Screen Savor ★★★

  Upon revisiting Simhadri, a film I vaguely recall watching as a child, I must admit that it can be considered a passable commercial film at best. However, it hasn't aged well, as it contains numerous problematic sequences, cringe-worthy comedy moments, and noticeably cheap production values, even by the standards of its time. Among all the star actors in Telugu cinema, Jr NTR seems to have the most forgettable movies in his early career.

  Even Rajamouli, the director, used to include unnecessary, adult-oriented sequences solely to attract the masses in his older films, which now, upon revisiting, are repulsive. Nevertheless, it is commendable to witness Rajamouli's growth as a filmmaker over the years. Despite these shortcomings, the film does possess a few standout sequences and impressive shots that demonstrate Rajamouli's visionary approach, setting him apart from his contemporaries.

• 

  Review by dee ★★★★ 4

  SINGAMALAIIII RAHH 🔥🔥🔪🔪🔪
  as a fan of mass commercial films i really enjoyed this. i’ve been wanting to go through rajamouli’s filmography and ntrs so i hit two birds w one stone by watching this. it’s so interesting to see rajamouli’s early filmmaking and see how that still translates and has similarities in his recent works like RRR and baahubali. 

  dude the whole kerala chase fight sequence and the narasimha swamy parallelism was CRAZYYY my absolute favorite part of the movie asalu swamy ki pooja happening and also to him bro i love (reminds me of how in kanna nidurinchara pooja happens to krishna but also baahubali lol but very different scenarios) and just ugh music, elevations, this must’ve hit…

• 

  Review by Akhil ★★★ 2

  SINGAMALAI ANAWWWWWWW
  🪓✋😠

  M.M. Keeravani is the MVP of this movie for me. Especially during that Kerala chasing fight sequence when a faster version of the Tamizh folk song Onnam padi eduthu plays in the bg 🥵

  Also konni build-up sequence lu and iconic shots em untai ra babu.
  PURELY A MASS spectacle.

• 

  Review by DungeonSkramz ★★★ 4

  An early Rajamouli blockbuster that was rough around the edges, but still delivered the high-octane action, unabashed melodrama, and patriotic spectacle as to be expected, especially with fight choreography/stunts evoking that Hong Kong level of passion and a surprising amount of blood-spurting violence to contrast against the more light-hearted segments.

  You could tell it was structured around having a mid-point interlude considering the pace grinded to a halt in the second half. While the musical numbers still generally served to complement their respective points in the story, as Cheema Cheema already got stuck in my head, the last one in particular stood out like a sore thumb by how it completely disrupted the continuity and tension that had been built…

• 

  Review by harsha ★★★½ 1

  kerala chase sequence was the kateramma fight before kateramma fight even existed

• 

  Review by Nitish Galala ★★

  This re-release is proof that SSR and NTR have truly evolved. Simhadri aged like AP liquor.

• 

  Review by Jack Russo ★★★½

  The sacrifice that is one's servitude, manifesting in this unhinged masala whose undying loyalty to its people arises in every bout of mass commercialism; ultraviolent HK-derived action; doting romcom musical numbers (one composed to the melody of Cotton Eye Joe); impenetrable cultural-specific humour; the sheer melodrama of crash zooms and sudden pans. There's no continuity of tone but there is a pervasive sentiment of communal anger which builds come slapstick come suffering until kinship is fully aligned with Jr. NTR's hot blooded fury, awakening at least three glass-shattering, bone-breaking, skull-smashing vigilante axe massacre crescendos when not otherwise preoccupied with skit comedy involving a love interest who can't get an ant out of her pants.

• 

  Review by Karunakar

  i'm aware ssr and ntr's mass era shtarted with this one but late ga realised it was actually kreem sir who already peaked and contributed more to this indushtry hit

• 

  Review by sandi ★★★★ 1

  a star is born

  this was beautifully shot like, i was blown away by so many of the silhouettes and imagery

• 

  Review by srujathi ★★★★

  SINGAMALAI🪓
  couldnt stop thinking about ms narayana’s  singamalai scene from siddu from srikakulam🤣👌🏾😭