Matcollis
This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.
Kirandeep Yoder
The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.
Fleur
Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.
Yazmin
Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.
Narasimhan Vuruputoor
Great movie. One movie any movie buff irrespective of language should watch and this movie should be prescribed as a part of the curriculum for all the aspiring directors and aspiring cinematographers. The usage of technology and light is just impeccable. The way the story is weaved around the characters is jaw dropping. Each and every character shown on screen has an importance in their own right and it becomes even more important for the actors to perform better. So good was the screenplay. Marcus Bartley had combined with KV Reddy to create the masterpiece for generations to cherish. Naming just one or two actors from the movie is only an insult to the casting. 10 out of 10...by any strict standards.
Prashanth K
Brilliant screenplay & direction by K V Reddi, witty dialogues/lyrics by Pingali, excellent music by Ghantasala and exceptional camera work by Marcus Bartley, make this an epic classic, a must see for any movie fan. All the artistes suited aptly for their roles and delivered brilliant performances. SVR and Savitri lead the pack with classic performances followed by ANR and NTR.K V Reddi's magnum opus has all the elements needed to entertain people of all ages. There is not a single scene that is extraneous, nor a scene that is missing. This is story telling at its best. No wonder K. V. Reddi is considered the 'Darshaka Brahma'!Even in this age and time where people are exposed to variety of movies from Hollywood, Bollywood, etc., this cult classic continues to enthrall audiences across multiple generations.I've seen this ~3hr long movie more than 20 times and enjoyed it thoroughly every time! Telugus are a lucky lot and their cultural heritage is richer because of this epic.
braddugg
No other Telugu movie has transcended the boundaries of language as this film did and it goes on.If there is one telugu film to refer to say that it is the all time great of all, then this film in every sense does justice to the statement. It indeed, is seriously the best film technically, culturally and aesthetically. Acting is one heck that makes it a must watch and so is the music that will be alive even 100 years later. I love many songs today too and the tiles of most songs are later made as titles for other films. Now, we can understand how loved the film was to every telugu movie goer.The story is not as though a tale taken from Mahabharata but a fable written by the writer Pingali Nagendra Rao and also Nagireddi and Chakrapani (both Reddy and Chakrapni are founders of Chandamama magazine too) but nevertheless its based on Mahabharatha.If I were to simplistically write then this is about out how a man helps a girl elope and gets her married to a dear relative of his own. But this movie is not that simplistic it's multi layered and comes out in many folds as we go about each character. What's more astonishing is that Ghatothkatcha (who is the main character of the whole film) comes an hour into the film and takes this film head on and gives us a really enthralling performance.The movie is slow for today's times but perfect and in fact you will crave for more after the completion of it. Such is the magic of this film, just terrific and enjoyable. The cinematography by Marcus Bartley (I suppose the greatest cameraman ever for Telugu films) is so awesome like we wonder how those scenes were made possible in 1957 when there was no CG or computer or any other equipment apart from a camera. Man, he must have been god to create illusions as they were shown in the film.Everyone did their best from writing to editing to sound design to every aspect of the film. There has since not been a movie that can beat this in all departments in Telugu at least.I have both the Black and White and the Colour DVD's but I prefer to go with B & W. It's lengthier and pristine so that helps the magic live longer. Having said that, the colour conversion is done well and I was very happy with the fact that this film was being re released.I bet, that most films made in those good old days of Telugu are much better and much relevant than the crap being made today.I will go with 5/5 for this movie that will ever be called the best of all Telugu movies.
Arif Moghal
Perhaps the complete cinema in its era, Mayabazar with its stellar cast continues to amaze the Telugu audience till date... If the Telugu film industry can be divided into two eras then, it would be Pre and Post Mayabazar... That's how big the movie is... It was, it is and it will remain the CLASSIC for eternity... It has big heavy weights of Telugu Film Industry donning in various roles... ANR as Abhimanyu; SVR as Ghatothkacha and above all NTR donning the role of Lord Krishna.... Particularly NTR's subtle dialogue delivery and magnificent stature lights up the frame when he is there... The ever gorgeous Savithri is at her best... Adorable beauty she remains... To sum it all, the events in the Movie do not truly depict of what happened in Mahabharata (The Epic of Hindu Mythology)... The likes of K.V. Reddy came out with a brilliant idea of weaving a small skit in the form of MAYABAZAR... The stand out point in the movie is "Marcus Bartley's" stunning light effects for the song "Lahiri Lahiri Lo..." The frame has been caught to perfection in every minute detail.. Hats off to that... The movie was digitally remastered in color in the year 2008. They had to do away with some editing as the original movie tape was badly damaged in the testimony of time.. The newer version is Nevertheless, it lived up to its expectations... The movie came out exceptionally well and K.V.Reddy would have been proud of that.. If Moghal-E-Azam is to Hindi Film Industry then, the south India claims to have Mayabazar ... If a person were to draw comparison, then that would be it.. Both were magnum opus in their own way... Go ahead and watch it in color and be enthralled !!! I will give it 10 out of 10... I consider myself blessed to have been born in the MAYABAZAR era....