The Mahabharata is a powerful story and that is the one part that this film need not worry about. It focusses on Arjun and how he grows into his persona of a fearless warrior.
The story does not show us the main war at Kurukshetra but on the events leading up to it. Of course, a lot of the details are glossed over such as Draupadi's vastraharan, in the interest of time and brevity I guess. However, a few characters such as Karna get introduced rather abruptly and you don't know here they came from or their importance.
The animation is a bit clumsy at times such as when they show the characters marching but the action sequences deliver quite well. The fight scenes and fight practice scenes are full of grace and agility which I am sure a lot of kids will be copying for days to come. The background in all the scene is done really well. The trees, forests, temples and palaces are depicted down to minute details and that brings the scenes really alive. The scene where Arjun fights phantasmagoric creatures sent by Shiva is really good.
My major issue is with the language. I don't know why every time an epic is filmed the language used is the 'ati sundar, vatsa' kind of archaic stuff. Using it gives a more authentic feel but it gets in the way of the story telling. The Hindi becomes so difficult that adults, leave alone kids will lose the thread . For instance, in the scene where the conditions of Vanvas are laid down, Duryodhana says the 13th year has to be 'Agyatvas'. If you don't know that means in disguise ( and I doubt lots of kids would know), you are missing an important part of the story. Also, the language makes the whole thing a bit stilted and less spontaneous. I am sure the story told in more contemporary language would make our classics so much more accessible to the young ones for whom such films are made.
However, it's vacation time, the story is good, Arjun looks strong, the action is riveting. What else can a harassed parent ask for?view less
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