HanuMan: Mix It to Fix It

Rules of the World – I need to understand why the all-powerful King of Asura, Vibhishana, came to this land and chose our hero. Why didn’t he use his shapeshifting ability to protect the hero? Why did the immortal need a mortal to become another Hanu-Man? The reason cannot be explained in a casual dialogue, it required a better setup for maybe the 12th or 13th or 14th film, payoff in the Cinematic Universe. Motivations of characters – Is saving your loved one a selfish motivation or not? The Mega Man’s origin story shows him trying to be a superhero for the people, at least that’s how I see it, more than the hero. How can a person who doesn’t appreciate the silent sacrifices his sister made for him be worthy? I would have preferred him to become worthy through Vibhishana and then find the pearl. Captain America did not prove himself worthy to be a Thor or wield Mjolnir until he faced a “Thanos” level threat. I apologize for my old school thinking, but I come from the filmmaking school that created the best possible “organic cinematic Universe”, where being “worthy” of a superpower was emphasized.

Lastly, as per my knowledge of Ramayana and Mythology, Hanuman was not meant to be the “Ultimate Protector”. He leads the charge for Lord Vishnu as he is an “Amsa” or “a form or incarnation” of Lord Shiva. The rules I know are – Brahma is the Creator, Vishnu is the Protector and Shiva is the Destroyer. So, if you look closely, Hanuman has the power to destroy anything and that is why he is prevented from destroying the Sun. (Oops … I am not supposed to talk about mythology. But I just did … As we go down the rabbit hole), Hanuman fetches Sanjeevani and becomes the protector of Lakshman, on the command of Ram, not on his own. So, are we going to see Hanuman acting on Ram’s guidance in the future? Or is it just another insignificant yet significant fictional promise? By the way, in mythology, the Sun was the center of the universe and it was an apple in the sky, but that is not how we understand space today. So, the visual representation of today’s universe or sky does not match with the vajra-ayudha hitting Hanuman and the blood falling on a spinning rock, especially at the same spot from where he took off. Well, my old-school thinking that logic or visual representation matters gets in the way.

Who needs logic when we have Hanuman Chalisa playing in the background? Who needs character motivations and continuity of character arcs and actions when Vibhishana can deliver a monologue just like Anupam Kher did about Krishna in Karthikeya 2 [2022]? Goosebumps … Goosebumps! Who needs time accuracy when there is a timely reminder with a monkey character that this is a Hanu-Man film? Who needs a background score that is not inspired by Hollywood Superhero films when we have “Ram” in Megastar Chiranjeevi’s voice every 15 minutes? When blood is the source of all powers, how does it transmit them through a pearl and light? Why does only sunlight transmit that power and not some other light source when “light” can do it? How do powers transmitted through eyes lose their “power” at night time, when the pearl is not always transmitting power in daylight? Shouldn’t there be some scientific explanation by Vennela Kishore’s Siri? Well, Hanuman was already referred to as a man with great speed, so why bother about a sequence that “resembles” Flash or Quicksilver sequences? When the hero can be selfish and unworthy following the “Baba” [2002] template, why shouldn’t the villain be from “The Incredibles” [2004]? Who cares if a person who can hit any target with a slingshot doesn’t use it wisely but tries to fight hand-to-hand at every opportunity? Who cares if an educated doctor doesn’t use a smartphone when the villain can use advanced sci-fi tech? Who really needs a proper plot twist for a supporting character to change sides?

After all those important lessons from the viewing experience, I had time to revisit Awe [2018] review. (You can do it too, if you want). I was deeply impressed by his passion to compose shots, write every plot detail with precision. I wonder why he didn’t work with the same passion for his precious Cinematic Universe, which feels like a Falooda, where you add everything and hope that something clicks and gives you a flavored “after-taste”. For me, a Cinematic Universe should have elements that make us crave for more and I felt that Hanu-Man is stitched together carefully to get some important aspects right and the rest is left to wander. I appreciate Teja Sajja for his dedication to pull off such a role and he is a good talent. I just hope that cinematic universes don’t become religious statements but pure films that also have mythological elements. Let’s pray for beautiful days, “Jai Shri Ram”.