Mahesh Babu's Maharshi is a modern-day retelling of the Krishna-Sudama story that is interspersed with elements from AR Murugadoss' Sarkar. Rishi (played by Mahesh Babu) is the CEO of the world's biggest corporation, and he comes back to India to reconcile with his college friend. A social issue arises for which he takes up the responsibility to set things right and work towards solving it. This looks like an interesting premise, but the writing in the first half is shoddy when compared to the second half which is slightly inconsistent but rousing.

In the truest sense of the word, the film improves as it progresses. Rishi knows nothing but winning and to be successful in all his endeavors. His journey to become a CEO is free of hurdles. When one of his colleagues throw up a surprise party by inviting all his college mates, he narrates the story of his life. These portions look natural and evoke a nostalgic feel, but when you look at the larger picture, what happens when there is a man narrating his story, while everyone at the party stands still, and the celebratory mood vanishes. 

Even the staging could have been better because all we see are shots of characters uttering dialogues and reacting to them. There is no movement and it looks more of a stage play than a cinema. The background score works partially, and the transition from one scene from another looks patchy. Throughout the film, Mahesh Babu's limited range of expressions is compensated by the way he carries the mass scenes. But the mass moments are less in number in the first half.

The proceedings take a turn in the second half which is filled with some solid scenes. Take for instance the scene where Rishi draws the attention of media towards a protestor. Such instances of smart writing caters well to the star's fan base. The movie needs more such scenes to sustain momentum. Praveen KL's work on the cuts deserve a special mention.

The flashback portions are worthy due to the performances of Vennela Kishore and Prakash Raj. Rishi's relation with the latter is conveyed well and further becomes the base on which Mahesh Babu's mass scenes are built upon. However, the same can't be said about the lead pair's relationship. The Pooja Hegde's role in the film lacks clarity and she looks clueless at various portions. Even when they break up, the emotion doesn't hit you because the romance was not set up properly.

Nevertheless, once the film starts taking itself seriously in the latter portions, there is no looking back, literally. You forget the problems in the first half, and it does manage to entertain and engross you. This could very well be a treat that Mahesh Babu fans were expecting.