Maruthi Nagar Subramanyam Review

Maruthi Nagar Subramanyam has grabbed people’s attention for two reasons — it is probably the first film which stars Rao Ramesh in a lead role, and second, it is the first film to be presented by Sukumar’s better half Thabitha Sukumar, and the movie got huge hype after Allu Arjun and Sukumar graced the pre release event. Young actor Ankith Koyya, who has been featuring in back-to-back films this year (Satyabhama, Aay), plays the role of Rao Ramesh’s son in the film, while Indraja plays the wife and mother. Maruthi Nagar Subramanyam is a sweet and small release sandwiched between two major release weekends.

What is it about?

Rao Ramesh plays Subramanyam, a man from the Maruthi Nagar neighbourhood in Chittoor. When he was a young boy, a fortune-teller predicted that he would get a government job when he grows up. He applies to all government jobs but does not get a single job. He manages to earn government job in 1998, but that job gets stuck in litigation. Since then, he refuses to work, believing that he will get a government job someday. His wife Indraja, who is a government employee, is tired of Subramanyam’s state of voluntary unemployment. His son Arjun delusionally believes that he is a boy from a rich family, who is being taken care of by Subramanyam, Ala Vaikuntapuramuloo-style. One day, Subramanyam gets ₹10,00,000 credited to his bank account. Who sends him that money? How do Subramanyam and Arjun’s lives change with that money?

Performances:

It is heartening to see Rao Ramesh in a full-length role. He is the soul of Maruthi Nagar Subramanyam. Character actors are usually very underrated since they are mostly relegated to supporting roles in films. Here, the actor plays a hero, and he does it beautifully. His performance is easy-to-watch, hilarious and endearing.

Indraja has a role that is somewhat similar to Shraddha Srinath’s character in Jersey. She is a sole breadwinner who hopes her son or husband eventually pick up their share of the household expenses. Her performance is impactful without being overbearing.

Ankith Koyya’s sub-plot involves him believing that he is Allu Aravind’s son and Allu Arjun’s brother. This details lets the writers bring in a lot of meta details involving Allu Arjun’s previous films, especially in the Madam Sir song. These details feel unnecessary and cringey, but nevertheless, Ankith Koyya delivers an effortlessly funny act in the film, managing to stand on his own against a stalwart like Rao Ramesh.

The Amrutham trio (Harsha Vardhan, Vasu Inturi & Sivanarayana Naripeddi) all feature in supporting roles here & it is nice to see all three of them together, albeit in a different world. They bring in the chuckles as intended.

Ramya Pasupuleti makes her debut with Maruti Nagar Subramanyam. While it is commendable that the film’s team signed on a native Telugu actress for the film, her characterisation is very disappointing.

Technicalities:

The songs composed by Kalyan Nayak are pleasant, if not entirely memorable.

Lakshman Karya comes up with a very interesting script based on real-life events. Some portions, like the sub-plot involving “Neela-dhanam”, are particularly informative.

The comedy, for the most part, works effectively too. The mystery involving where the ₹10L came from really holds up well, and the final reveal is satisfying. Outside of the comedy, Maruthi Nagar Subramanyam also makes you feel for its heavier, more emotional parts as well.

While the script showed potential, the direction is lacklustre and very basic. Lakshman Karya seems to have been influenced by Pradeep Ranganathan’s Love Today, and it is very evident in the way some shots are framed.

Smaller scenes, like an Instagram reel made by the heroine, are clearly inspired by Love Today. While paying a homage to your favourite films is not wrong, it becomes hard to take a film seriously if it does not manage to provide any insight of its own.

Thumbs-up:

Rao Ramesh
Story
Few Comedy Scenes

Thumbs-down:

Direction
Allu Aravind references
Heroine’s Characterisation
Romantic track

Bottomline – So So Subramanyam

Rating: 2.5/5