Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu Movie Review: Chiranjeevi’s Comic Comeback Undone by Regressive Messaging

Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu Movie Review (Photo Credits: Shine Screens)

Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, written and directed by Anil Ravipudi, arrives with a template that will feel instantly familiar: a man attempting to reunite with his estranged wife and children by hook or crook. Cinema has returned to this well many times before - my personal favourite remains Kamal Haasan’s Avvai Shanmughi (remade in Hindi as Chachi 420). Even Nayanthara, the leading lady here, has explored this space extensively, most notably in the Tamil blockbuster Viswasam.

There is, of course, nothing inherently wrong with revisiting a proven formula - provided a filmmaker brings a fresh perspective or an inventive twist. Ravipudi’s primary task here is to usher Chiranjeevi into a full-fledged family entertainer after years of violent action spectacles and period dramas. For fans of the megastar, this shift is welcome. Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu allows Chiranjeevi to lean into his comic strengths, even if the film still feels compelled to insert needless action beats. Several scenes do land their humour effectively. However, in its attempt to feel contemporary, the film slips into archaic messaging about the family system. As the jokes begin to run out of gas, not even Venkatesh’s much-hyped extended cameo can resuscitate the momentum.

Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu Movie Review - What's It About?

Vara Prasad (Chiranjeevi) is the head of the National Security Service - ostensibly bumbling in his methods, yet always getting the job done at the last moment. He operates with a core team of four (or rather, three - Catherine Tresa, Harsha Vardhan, and Abhinav Gomatam - the fourth being largely inconsequential). Ironically, for someone who leads a security agency, Prasad is also the only one who ever gets his hands dirty when it comes to fighting villains.

Prasad is separated from his wife Sasirekha (Nayanthara), the daughter of a wealthy business tycoon (Sachin Khedekar), and has been kept away from his children for years. Desperate to reunite with them, he uses his professional position as leverage. How this mission unfolds forms the rest of the narrative.

Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu Movie Review - What We Thought Of It

The film begins on a breezy note, prioritising light-hearted situations, some of which genuinely sparkle with humour. Vara Prasad’s rapport with his team is where the comedy works best. While the plot offers little novelty, the antics of the lead character keep things moving. The flashback portions - charting the couple’s romance across four weddings in four different states, with Ilaiyaraaja’s classic Thalapathi song “Sundari Kannal”playing a key role - are a particularly fun touch.

Even though the screenplay offers nothing we haven’t seen before, the comedy largely carries these early portions. Ravipudi understands what tickles his audience. Just as one settles into Vara Prasad’s carefree, cricket-ball-swinging charm, the film commits its first major misstep: revealing the reason behind the couple’s separation.

Spoilers ahead.

Vara Prasad and Sasirekha separate because he slaps her - publicly. What makes this deeply unsettling is that the moment is staged with a comic sensibility. This is not a throwaway incident; it is central to the film’s conflict. Yet at no point is the hero shown expressing remorse. Instead, when matters are resolved, it is Sasirekha who ends up apologising for “misunderstanding” her husband.

The problem doesn’t stop there. In another so-called comic scene, Prasad intimidates Sasirekha’s friends by ranting about how women misuse existing laws to exaggerate their domestic troubles - delivered while he practically stares into the camera. One could argue that it’s meant to be taken lightly. But soon after, Prasad’s mother (Zarina Wahab - ironically just four years younger than her onscreen son) lectures Sasirekha on how “adjustment” is the key to marital bliss, citing her own endurance as virtue. The epilogue then seals the deal by showing a successful businesswoman finding happiness as a housewife because that’s supposedly how the “middle class” functions.

For a film releasing during Sankranthi 2026, Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu carries the ideological baggage of a film released in Sankranthi 1986. One can’t help but wonder what compelled Nayanthara - often celebrated as one of the most influential female stars in the South - to sign off on such messaging.

This is not nitpicking. The messaging matters because the film positions it as the emotional resolution of its family drama. And even if one attempts to set this discomfort aside - which the film itself makes difficult - it gradually begins to lose narrative footing as it scrambles for new comic ideas.

The villain (not the scheming father-in-law) is introduced before the interval. While this character initially serves as a convenient excuse for Vara Prasad to re-enter Sasirekha’s life, his ultimate purpose seems to exist solely to facilitate a climax action sequence. Chiranjeevi mows down hordes of people - chopping, mutilating, shooting - right in front of his young children. One suspects the family stays together thereafter mainly to fund their future therapy bills.

There are moments that do work: Vara Prasad misunderstanding a business deal, or hiding under his father-in-law’s dining table to troll him. But others try far too hard - particularly the “men are also victims” gag - and fall flat. When the film runs out of ideas, it brings in Venkatesh to charm things up. While it’s enjoyable to see two seasoned stars riff off each other, the cameo feels more like glossy padding than a meaningful addition, extending the runtime without contributing much to the story.

Chiranjeevi delivers a mixed performance. At times, the vintage comic entertainer from the ’80s and ’90s shines through; at others, the exaggeration in his expressions and gestures feels forced. This contrast becomes especially apparent when Venkatesh enters - his humour feels more effortless and grounded.

Nayanthara does what she can with a role that feels thankless - not just to her, but to modern working women in general. Sachin Khedekar is serviceable as the manipulative father-in-law. Catherine Tresa, Harsha Vardhan, and Abhinav Gomatam are enjoyable in their ensemble scenes with Chiranjeevi. Sudev Nair, unfortunately, leaves little impression as the antagonist.

Bheems Ceciroleo’s soundtrack doesn’t weigh the film down, with “Hook Step” and “Sasirekha” standing out. But music can only do so much when the emotional and ideological beats feel this out of step with the times.

Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu Movie Review - Should You Watch It or Not?

Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu is not devoid of charm. Its early stretches, powered by situational humour and Chiranjeevi’s hard attempts to bring back his comic timing, make for a reasonably engaging watch. But the film steadily undermines itself with messaging that feels deeply out of step with contemporary sensibilities. When a family drama chooses nostalgia over accountability, and convenience over consequence, the laughter begins to feel hollow.