Shirdi Sai

Synopsis: It’s the life story of Shirdi Sai Baba, starting from when he first appeared in Shirdi as a kid to his eventual Samadhi.

Movie Review: Legend has it that revolutionary freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak was a devotee of Shirdi Sai Baba. Apparently it was Sai Baba who predicted that Mahatma Gandhi would win India its independence from the British Rule. “Oka mahatmudu vasthadu, ayana valla mana desaniki swathantram vasthundi,” (A Mahatma will come to our country in the near future and help us get our independence) he remarks to Bal Gangadhar Tilak who comes to seek his blessings and know if he will live to see his life’s dream of India’s independence.

Well clairvoyance is only one of the many aspects of divinity. The movie establishes his divinity with many miracles – like lighting lamps with water, curing the sick with his touch, saving his nephew from falling in fire, levitation, cooking food with his bare hands, and his soul leaving the body for three days before coming back to life... the works. If it weren’t for the miracles, we would perhaps struggle to accept divinity in flesh and blood. Such is the nature of faith you see.

That’s not all. The movie even tries to paint Sai Baba as a secular patriot in essence with a nationalistic agenda to boot! “Sab ka malik ek”, “Allah Malik” he keeps uttering from time to time. “With whose permission dif you step into our motherland and establish your business empire in this holy land,” questions Sai Baba to a haughty British Colonel Wales (Sri Hari) in another scene in the movie. The filmmakers have stayed true to the Sri Sai Satcharita, regarded by many as the undisputed record of Sai Baba's life, in letter and spirit.

The non-believers can take a walk for this is a movie for the Sai Baba followers. So errors of logic and historical accuracy do not matter, in any case our filmmakers are not known for matters of nuance and craft and this movie is no different.

Cinematic glitches aside, what works in the movie is that it focuses more on the spirit of the teachings rather than the miracles that Sai Baba performed, which was the crux of the previous films like Shri Sai Baba Mahatyam, widely regarded as the definitive film on Sai Baba. As far as viewing experience goes, this film falls short of the standards set by that K Vasu film but it has a few moments nevertheless.

The background score by MM Keeravani is decent, but doesn’t exactly give you the goose bumps. The performances are adequate, but there are just too many characters and as a result, not many register. Nagarjuna seems to have made a conscious effort to look the part, work on his voice modulation and underplay the dialogue delivery. It’s a performance that’s more honest than emphatic.

The writing proves to be a stumbling block as the lines just don’t have that effect. Forced comedy tracks involving Sayaji Shinde look mediocre at best. It’s isn’t a film that will douse you with that feeling of divinity, but makes for a one time watch. How much you like this film might just be a matter of how staunch a devotee of Sai Baba you are.