'Brahmotsavam' review: Mahesh Babu is good, but the film puts you in a deep slumber

Mahesh Babu is one of the most charismatic actors in south cinema. His superstar looks and that smile is enough to bring the audiences to the theatres. But his latest, Srikanth Addala’s Brahmotsavam lacks a cohesive story and is weak in narration. Mahesh Babu is there in almost every frame of the film, but the way the film unfolds puts you into a deep slumber. The story has a typical Sooraj Barjatya style happy rich joint family that lives together in a palatial palace like home, sings together, eats together and has big family holidays in exotic lush locations. They are all beautiful people and dolled up in designer wear.  For this family, life is a big celebration. The only difference between Barajatya’s and Addala’s film is that this Vijayawada based family eats non-vegetarian food and simply loves spicy Gongura mutton! [caption id=“attachment_2792438” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Mahesh Babu and Kajal Aggarwal in Brahmotsavam. Youtube grab[/caption] The head of the joint family (Sathyaraj) is a billionaire who dotes on his brothers and other family members. His son (Mahesh Babu) is the ideal guy, tries his best to keep the family tradition going. However the tycoon’s brother-in-law (Rao Ramesh) and business partner feels sidelined. He vents his anger when he realises that Mahesh Babu, who he always thought would marry his daughter, (Pranitha) has fallen for a girl (Kajal Aggarwal) who has come as a guest into the family. By the interval, the family falls apart. The second half has Mahesh Babu embark on what looks like an all-India tour in search of his family roots and to meet his extended family. He is helped by his girlfriend (Samantha) during this road trip, that criss-crosses across the country. The saving grace to a certain extent is Mahesh Babu, who is vibrant and charismatic and tries his best to give some life to the goody-goody character he portrays. It is high time that Mahesh gives a new spin to his star image. There are nearly 20 well known actors in the supporting cast, who know it is just a photo opportunity at best. The heroines Pranitha and Kajal look great on screen, but Samantha steals the show. Technically, the film looks slick with eye catching camera work by Retnavelu.  The narration is very slow as scenes takes ages to move forward. Every character looks plastic except Rao Ramesh as the grumpy brother-in-law, who hallucinates at times with his alter ego. However, the film at 156 minutes is too long and has too many songs coming as speed breakers. It becomes a long drawn out yawn at the end.