Udita Jhunjhunwala 

Ghatothkach—Master of Magic

Director: Singeetam Srinivasa Rao
Voices: Various
Rating: **

Ghatothkach, for those unaware, is the son of Bheem and Hidimba from the Mahabharata. Blessed with magical powers, the hero of this animated musical lives in the jungle with his best friend, Gajju, a magical spell bungling elephant for company. Gattu, as Ghatothkach is fondly called, guided by his mother, uses his magical abilities to help others. Once grown up, he even helps his cousin Abhimanyu get reunited with his childhood love Surekha.

Though the film uses a mix of 2D and 3D animation, the 2D looks archaic in its portions — more like a child’s colouring book with moving characters. Also the lip-synching of the characters does not match the dialogues, which is because the film is being released in seven languages — Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malyalam and Bengali.

A basic and simplistic story, it veers towards the unexpected. Eight songs test your patience, ranging as they do from a fun animal chorus Angalik Bangalik… Jaadu Hai to an item number in a futuristic Maya Bazaar with midriff showing dancers supporting a pot-belly jiggling, mace-brandishing Ghatothkach. And then there’s a ballad that looks like ‘Love Story 2050BC’! Yes, the mythological children’s film goes from legend to Bollywood filmi including showing an onscreen kiss between Abhimanyu and Surekha.

It’s a well-meaning and an educational film in terms of the story of Ghatothkach within the Mahabharata. But somewhere in the middle the story shifts from Gattu to the exile of the Pandavas and the faltering romance between Abhimanyu and Surekha. It further gets distracted by too many songs making it testy for both children and adults.

Given the quality and sophistication of animation films these days—in India and internationally—Ghatothkach is neither expressively enchanting nor is it technically amazing.