‘Maa Inti Bangaaram’ Movie Review: Quiet Subversion And An In-Form Samantha

In a terrific sequence in Maa Inti Bangaaram, Swarna (Samantha Ruth Prabhu) teaches her best friend Kiranmayi (Manjusha) a strange but important lesson. "Be it a hero or a housewife, when the dialogue lands right... it can scare anyone,” she tells her bemused friend. Swarna has just threatened a man who sniffed out her past, and goes on to utter the most muttered commercial film dialogue ever: “Do you know who I am?”

Nandini Reddy’s Maa Inti Bangaaram is at its most convincing when it takes on the sweet absurdities of the Baashha film genre. It positions a woman in place of a man, giving her deep insecurities and gendered marriage biases to fight apart from just thugs. 

Anirudh (Diganth Manchale) is nervously making a return to his hometown, a few years after eloping, when the film opens. But his bride has more reasons to be skittish. Swarna isn’t just facing the wrath of prodding in-laws who don’t approve of her, but also the ideals set by generations of brides before her. One wouldn’t describe Swarna as ideal in a traditional sense of the word. For one, she can’t cook or offer prayers (the film is set in the 80s). But Swarna, led by a heightened sense of competitiveness, doesn’t take no for an answer. This leads to some expected hilarity, but not in the usual sense. We’re introduced to a female friend who goes above and beyond the “friend of the heroine” trope. Manjusha brings on the laughs as Kiranmayi, Swarna’s childhood friend and ride or die, who begrudgingly helps her dole out mutton curries, make impressive rangolis and keep her friend’s dark secret.

Of course, Swarna has a violent past. Why shouldn’t she, seeing as every other mass hero in our films has had one? Swarna’s competitiveness stems not just from a desire to be the best daughter-in-law in the house, but a desire to fit in. We see her story in hurried glimpses, where Gulshan Devaiah’s Karuna is introduced as a harmful influence in her life. But these portions are also where the writing takes a hit. It goes over her past with such generic broad strokes that it’s difficult to imagine the pain the character carries through to her present life. Karuna isn’t the first man to feed off her fear and insecurities as a young orphan. These details are gone over too quickly with heavy-handed lines, even if they’re performed with sincerity.

The overarching sentiment of Maa Inti Bangaaram is family. And it’s impressive how the film maintains this sentiment throughout its various highs and lows. When Manik Baashha’s cover is blown, he could just go back to taking on the mob with ease. But when it’s Swarna? She has to think about her husband, her in-laws, her friend, and all the young women in the family who look up to her. This unfortunate irony comes across quite well in Maa Inti Bangaaram, as Reddy takes a full-on commercial route to gingerly address these biases.

Samantha is a delight throughout the film, which makes her kick, cry, smile and somersault to keep the invaders away. In so many ways, the role is tailor-made for the actor, who enjoys a unique stardom in the industry. It's hard to imagine anyone else playing this character, which is wrapped in duality (she's tough and capable, but she also never misses a chance to get a laugh out of things).

It's about time she led a mass action film. Even if it is a little rough around the edges.