The Return of HanumanDirection: Anurag Kashyap
Rating: ***
It could become a rocking franchise – the continuing adventures of baby
Hanuman. Indeed the animation is pretty okay – no
comparisons with Pixar or Disney please. And besides belting out entertainment, there are wise little lessons too.
A concept follow-up to the tot-pleasing toon movie Hanuman, The Return of.. catches one of the most adored heroes of mythology, once again in his knee-high years. And what do you know? He arrives on earth, in the present-day kalyug, to correct as much evil as he can in the space of a running length of two hours.
The Mahatma taught Munnabhai a lesson or two just a couple of years ago. Now it’s Little Hanuman who lands – after receiving a celestial visa – in a village where a kid is being harangued by the meanies.
The script plays on a child’s fantasies about rakshasas and heroes, besides making some pointed remarks about the need for pollution control. In keeping with the current trend of lampooning movies, digs galore are made at Gabbar Singh, Raaj Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar and Shah Rukh Khan. Mr Kashyap only left out Manoj Kumar.
The dubbed voices are sufficiently expressive. Inexplicably, the publicity material doesn’t introduce you to the awaaz brigade.Be that as it may, The Return..is as cute as an animated feature you can get this side of the Suez. But of course, it has to be viewed along with a popcorn crunching moppet. ‘Njoy.