Cast:Sudeep,Samantha,Naveen Director: SS Rajamouli Indian Express Rating: ***1/2 A fly is something that buzzes about,settles on your food and on your person,and arouses annoyance. Makkhi gives us a refreshingly different,innovative take on a little creature one tends to swat away and forget : in SS Rajamoulis hugely entertaining film,a housefly bests the bad guy,and comes out on top. I saw the subtitled-in-English,made-in-Telugu Eega ( the Tamil version,equally successful,is Naan Ee) a couple of months ago,and had a total blast. The dubbed-in Hindi Makkhi matches up in all respects. The dubbing is well done,and the film loses nothing in translation. It helps,of course,that the makkhi is largely silent,its eloquence and cleverness coming from the superb animation,near the best Ive seen in an Indian film. Sudeep ( Sudeep),whom Hindi-speaking audiences have seen in Ram Gopal Varmas films,is terrific as the jealous,dangerous businessman who covets the pretty Bindu ( Samantha). The love of her life,'seedha-saadha Jani ( Naveen) is quickly dispatched,and Sudeep sets his sights on reeling in the grieving Bindu. But Makkhi,brave,smart thing,stands in the way. The way in which he trains for the encounters,and manages to sneak past the increasingly-maddened Sudeeps defenses is super,and will have you rooting for this 'makkhi,who finds smart support from the lovely Bindu. The bits in which a red-eyed tantrik is brought in to combat the pesky creature,and some of the mayhem before and after,doesnt fit into this eminently child-friendly film. A few portions feel a teeny bit stretched. But in all other respects,Makkhi is great,non-stop,universal fun. shubhra.gupta@expressindia.com
