Cast: Pawan Kalyan, Nidhhi Agerwal, Nasser, Bobby Deol, Sunil, Sathyaraj, Tanikella Bharani

Directors: Krish Jagarlamudi, Jyothi Krishna

Despite the star power of Pawan Kalyan, Hari Hara Veera Mallu ends up as a tedious and muddled historical fiction that struggles to balance myth, patriotism, and overblown heroism.

Pawan Kalyan returns with his signature charm, energy, and a few well-executed action moments. He starts off as a clever, Robin Hood-like thief, pulling off slick heists against the British to steal diamonds. This initial stretch offers some promise. However, the film soon pivots into a heavy-handed, mytho-political saga, portraying him as a warrior fighting against the Mughals to protect Hindu temples and uphold Sanatana Dharma—set, quite oddly, between the 1660s and 1680s.

The film is directed by both Krish and Jyothi Krishna, but their vision seems conflicted. The attempt to transform a street-smart thief into a messianic savior of Hinduism feels forced and jarring. At one point, Veera Mallu is shown to communicate with animals like tigers and wolves, and even predict climate changes by observing rivers and mountains—traits that stretch credibility and border on parody. The screenplay appears more concerned with aligning Pawan Kalyan’s on-screen persona with his real-life political ideology than with telling a compelling story.

Nidhhi Agerwal plays a Devadasi and brings grace to her limited role, while Bobby Deol as Emperor Aurangzeb has a few strong moments but mostly appears stiff and underutilized. The rest of the cast, including veterans like Nasser, Sathyaraj, and Thanikella Bharani, are ok.

The story begins with a familiar trope—an infant found floating in a river, rescued by a Brahmin family, and raised among them. That child grows up to be Veera Mallu (Pawan Kalyan), who eventually draws the attention of the Qutb Shahi rulers. They assign him the daring task of stealing the Kohinoor diamond from Aurangzeb’s darbar in Delhi. Meanwhile, a predictable love track with Nidhhi Agerwal unfolds in the backdrop.

Though there are a few well-shot sequences—particularly a brutal fight with pahalwans and a face-off near Delhi against Mughal soldiers—the film ultimately lacks coherence and soul. The action alone cannot compensate for the absence of a strong, logical narrative.

Composer M.M. Keeravani contributes two melodious tracks and a reasonably effective background score, but even his efforts cannot save this film from its storytelling flaws.