Mass Jathara, directed by Bhanu Bhogavarapu, is a massy thriller starring Ravi Teja, Sreeleela, and Naveen Chandra in the lead roles. The film is about an SI of railway police, Lakshman Bheri, who makes it his life’s mission to fight against crime and corruption and make criminals pay for their actions, even if they come from influential or political backgrounds. My problem with such films is that they use a template, a pattern, and restrict themselves creatively in more than one way. Being inspired by a work of art is a separate thing, but just remodeling a tried and tested formula, without putting in the effort to bring anything authentic to the plate, is just not acceptable. It’s my plea to such filmmakers that if you have the luxury of releasing your film on a platform like Netflix, then you ought to put in the effort, be authentic in your approach, and most of all not be apprehensive about making less safe choices. I mean, if you are not a Ravi Teja fan, if you aren’t aware of his body of work, of his legacy, then at times the way the scenes are executed (especially the action sequences) would seem rather absurd. You know this is what happens in the Indian film industry: a visionary director arrives on the scene, and he creates an original narrative and has his own style of execution and set of inspirations. And then instead of understanding his work of art, we create a template and try to get everything to align with it. So if you love caricaturish portrayals of villains, an invincible protagonist against whom even 100 people combined pose no challenge, and the same old narrative served in a different-colored packaging, then Mass Jathara is for you. So let’s find out what happened in the film and if Lakshman was able to get the better of his nemesis.
Spoiler Alert
Why did Lakshman get transferred to Adivivaram?
Lakshman Bheri was a sub-inspector in the railway department in Warangal. The man never wanted to be a railway cop, but his grandfather, Hanuman Bheri, had been worried for his safety. Lakshman’s parents had passed away when he was quite young, and he was brought up by his grandfather. Lakshman was the only family that Hanuman had, and so he didn’t want anything to happen to him. Hanuman felt that if his grandson became a railway cop, then he wouldn’t have to deal with criminals on an everyday basis, and he would have a comfortable life. But Lakshman didn’t want that, and he expressed his feelings to his uncle, Ajith Narayanan, who was an IPS officer and a very good friend of his father’s. Ajith assured the young boy that he would make sure he got all the action that he craved. Ajith had a plan in mind, which he didn’t reveal till the very end of the film.
So, Lakshman got to know the son of a local politician had killed a man, and nobody could take any action against him for obvious reasons. Lakshman not only put that guy behind bars, he also thrashed him so badly that the man broke his spine. Lakshman was the kind of man who wasn’t even scared of the politicians. So ultimately he got transferred and was sent to Adivivaram, a small village in the Alluri district. We got to know that Lakshman didn’t get transferred to that specific village for no reason. Ajith wanted him to go there because he knew what Lakshman was capable of, and how desperately those village folks needed a brave person who could help their cause.
What happened between Sivudu and Lakshman?
Sivudu was the biggest marijuana smuggler in the region, and he was a dangerous man. Nobody dared to get in his way, as they knew what the consequences of doing so could be. But obviously, Sivudu’s reputation didn’t stop Lakshman from going against him and making sure that he was not able to smuggle goods. The local SI, the higher officials, the politicians, and every other influential person were on Sivudu’s payroll, and so when Lakshman took his men into custody, he was given orders to release them. Sivudu killed a mole named Madhan who was working for Ajith, Lakshman’s uncle, and constantly leaking information about the activities of the gang. Lakshman tried his vel best to save the man, but ultimately he was butchered by Sivudu. The dreaded smuggler paid a visit to Lakshman and asked him how much he would need to sell his conscience. Sivudu underestimated Lakshman and the kind of man he was. In the first meeting itself, Lakshman made it pretty clear that he was not a corrupt cop and that, unlike his colleagues, he wouldn’t sell his integrity. But then one incident happened that brought about a shift in the dynamics. SI Rajaram, who was a corrupt cop, had a change of heart after his son met with an accident and lost his life. Lakshman told him that his son paid the consequences for his corrupt actions, and that made SI Rajaram feel guilty. Rajaram decided to join hands with Lakshman and make sure Sivudu paid for his actions. But Sivudu got Rajaram killed. Sivudu’s uncle and his family were heartless killers who arrived on the scene when there was no recourse left but to take some extreme steps. The old uncle and his family seemed like normal village folks, but they were more dangerous than any of Sivudu’s men. They had a small reptile (that looked like a small Komodo dragon) in their possession, and they used it as a weapon against anybody they wanted to eliminate. The day Lakshman got to know that Rajaram had been killed, he made it the mission of his life to kill Sivudu and destroy his empire.
Why was Tulasi working for Sivudu?
Lakshman fell in love with a girl named Tulasi who took the same train from the Adivivaram railway station every day. Tulasi told Lakshman that she was a schoolteacher, but in reality she and her father were drug peddlers. Hanuman, Lakshman’s grandfather, was very possessive when it came to his grandson. He didn’t want him to get married, as he felt that if a girl came into his life, he would leave him in an old age home. So before Hanuman arrived at the Adivivaram village, he bumped into Tulasi and saw her selling drugs. Later, when Lakshman introduced Tulasi to his grandfather, she got exposed. But we got to know that (the most cliche plot twist) Tulasi was selling drugs because her elder sister, Ganga, was in Sivudu’s captivity. Sivudu wanted to forcibly marry Ganga, and he had kept her in his house. Tulasi had contacted another criminal who had told her that they would kill Sivudu for her if she managed to give them around 5 lakhs for the job. So Tulasi started selling marijuana, as that was the only way she could earn that amount of money. Lakshman was in love with Tulasi, and he made her a promise that he would not only rescue Ganga but also make sure to take revenge on Sivudu on behalf of every person whose life he had ruined.
Did Lakshman kill Sividu?
Lakshman was transporting his weed consignment from Adivivaram to Kolkata. But Lakshman caused a landslide and blocked his way. Ultimately, Sivudu had to transport his stuff on a freight train, and that’s when he came under Lakshman’s jurisdiction, something that he has been waiting for for a really long time. Lakshman took his consignment and hid it at a discreet location. Lakshman then not only freed Ganga from his captivity but also killed his uncle and his family, who had killed SI Rajaram. Things got so out of hand that Patro, Sivudu’s partner, who was another sociopath, had to arrive at the scene and take charge of matters. Patro and Sivudu did find out where the weed consignment was hidden, and when they went there, they found Hanuman Bheri guarding the entrance. Hanuman, who was an ex-army man, fought with a lot of courage, but ultimately ended up dying on the battlefield. Soon after that, Patro and Sivudu were able to get the better of Lakshman and took him into their custody. They wanted to set an example by killing him publicly, but then something unprecedented happened. Something so bizarre that for a moment I couldn’t comprehend what I saw. A water buffalo that was going to be sacrificed as a religious offering went out of control. The animal rammed into the shackles that were used to chain Lakshman. Lakshman was set free accordingly, and after that, he didn’t take much time to kill both Patro and Sivudu.
In Mass Jathara’s ending, we saw that Lakkman had married Tulasi, and they were on their way to their honeymoon when Lakshman once again got a call from Ajith Narayanan. Ajith told him that he had transferred him to Adivivaram on purpose and that he now wanted him to go to Kondaveedu, as there was an animal trafficking ring operating there. So brace yourself, and the makers have not ruled out the probability of having a Mass Jathara part 2. We might see SI Lakshman Bheri once again in action, though I just hope that the makers spend some time making the narrative a bit more engaging and authentic this time around.
