Hitler Movie Review: Chiranjeevi’s Comeback Has Mass Moments, Emotion and Familiar Story

Hitler Movie Review: Chiranjeevi returns with a mass entertainer after a series of disappointing films. Here’s a look at the story, performances, action, emotions and whether the comeback works.

The Movie That Saved The Mega Image

Hitler rewrote the career of Megastar Chiranjeevi in Telugu cinema history. The movie released on January 4, 1997, as a Sankranti special. It created a tsunami of records at the box office. The film added strong family sentiment to his mass image and became his biggest comeback movie.

Movie Details

Movie Name: Hitler

Release Date: 4 January 1997

Cast: Chiranjeevi, Rambha, Rajendra Prasad, Dasari Narayana Rao, Prakash Raj, Sharada, P.L. Narayana, Brahmanandam, Ponnambalam, Sudhakar, Allu Ramalingaiah and others

Director: Muthyala Subbaiah

Production House: M.L. Movie Arts (Presenter: Editor Mohan, Producer: M.V. Lakshmi)

Music: Koti

Writer / Dialogues: L.B. Sriram

Runtime: Approx 160 minutes

The Storyline Of Hitler

Madhava Rao, played by Chiranjeevi, is a strict and simple man. He takes care of his five sisters like a responsible brother after they lose their father. Everyone in the village calls him "Hitler" out of fear because of his strict rules and anger.

Madhava Rao raises his sisters with deep hatred for his father, played by Dasari Narayana Rao. He blames his father for his mother's early death. The father comes out of jail and longs for his children, but Madhava Rao refuses to speak to him. Villains create trouble during the sisters' marriages, and the sisters misunderstand their brother at one point. Madhava Rao faces all these challenges, saves his sisters from danger, proves his father innocent, and unites the family in the end.

Performance Analysis Of The Cast

Chiranjeevi's acting is the main strength of Hitler. He stepped away from his usual mass action roles to play a highly emotional character. He lived the role of a responsible and loving brother without any commercial elements. His expressions during emotional scenes easily bring tears to the viewers' eyes.

Rambha added the required glamour to the movie as the heroine. She impressed everyone with her best acting in a performance-oriented role.

Rajendra Prasad played the second most important role after Chiranjeevi. The versatile actor did wonders with his trademark comedy as a brother-in-law and friend. Dasari Narayana Rao lived in the role of the father with matching emotional intensity. Comedians like Brahmanandam, Sudhakar, and Kalpana Rai provided great comic relief in the middle of a heavy emotional story. The five sisters and other actors performed well within their limits.

Technical Aspects Of The Movie

Music played a huge role in the success of Hitler. Koti composed tunes that perfectly matched the story. Mass and melody songs like "Nadaka Kalisina Navaratri" and "Misa Misa Merupula" became huge hits. Emotional tracks like "O Kalama Idi Nee Jalama" and "Kanneellake Kanneerocche" connected deeply with the audience. Many people actually cried while listening to these songs. The background music elevated every emotional scene.

Director Muthyala Subbaiah deserves special mention. He is an expert at making sentiment films. He perfectly balanced family emotions for a hero with a massive mass image. L.B. Sriram wrote heart-touching dialogues that matched the director's vision and raised the standard of the film.

Interesting Facts About Hitler Movie

Hitler is not an original Telugu story. The film is a remake of the 1996 Malayalam blockbuster 'Hitler' starring Mammootty.

The makers did not plan this story for Chiranjeevi initially. Presenter Editor Mohan bought the remake rights and wanted to cast Mohan Babu as the hero with E.V.V. Satyanarayana as the director. Dates did not work out, so the offer went to Chiranjeevi. Muthyala Subbaiah replaced E.V.V. Satyanarayana.

The movie opened to hit talk from day one. It released as a 1997 Sankranti gift and scored a massive victory at the box office. The film completed a 100-day run in 42 centres. The makers held a grand 100-day celebration in Ongole.

Mega Fans Scared The Director

Chiranjeevi took a gap of almost one year after 'Rikshavodu' flopped in December 1995. He waited for the right script, and 'Hitler' gave him a blockbuster comeback. This movie turned his career around.

Fans of Chiranjeevi sent letters to director Muthyala Subbaiah because the hero was coming after a series of flops. The director faced immense pressure to deliver a hit. He made necessary changes to the screenplay to suit Telugu audiences and achieved massive success.

Plus And Minus Points

Plus Points:

Chiranjeevi delivered a powerful and emotional performance.

The movie features strong emotions and family bonding.

Koti provided excellent songs and background music.

Sudhakar, Rajendra Prasad, and Brahmanandam created a great comedy combination.

Minus Points:

The drama and sentiment feel a bit too heavy in some places.

The climax scenes look somewhat routine.

Final Verdict:

Hitler is not just a movie. It wrote a brand new chapter in Chiranjeevi's career. The megastar made a grand re-entry as a sentiment hero who could bring family audiences to theatres, proving he was more than just a mass action hero. It remains an all-time classic family entertainer that audiences still love watching on television today.