Mahavatar Narsimha Review — Finally, an Indian Anime Rival Worth Watching

Made on a budget of just ₹15 crores, Mahavatar Narsimha achieved a global box office collection of around ₹320 crores. Finally, out on Netflix, is this film actually the firework we were looking for? Or is it plain simple hypewagon? Find out in our review.

I didn’t see the trailer or poster before the release of this mythological anthology film series. But since its theatrical release, positive reviews have been pouring in from all sides. Finally, after its OTT debut, I zgot the chance to catch it. Based on the Hindu mythology tales of Prahlad and Hiranyakashyap, this film retells the age-old story with extravagant animation, jaw-dropping visuals, and high-flying action.

Here’s my honest breakdown and analysis –

Pros -

Animation

Produced by Kleem Productions and presented by Hombale Films, the studio behind KGF and Kantara, Mahavatar Narsimha delivers with punchy animations. I don’t remember the last time I saw such good animation work from an Indian production. Back in 2011, Ra One delivered unbelievable VFX from an Indian production thanks to Red Chillies, but after that, I can’t remember any good work. While watching the film, you will be amazed and will be in awe of it. Can’t wait to see the next line of films.

Visuals and Cinematography

The film is targeted towards the kids of this generation. While we, the 90s kids, are very familiar with these mythology stories, the Gen Alphas and Betas are not very familiar with these stories and seem to be uninterested. The film tried to target them and delivered with its amazing visuals, made with dedication. The core story is a Hindu mythology, right? It deserved colourful visuals, full of green landscapes, animals, flowers, and nature. It has that.

While the land of the demons needed its dark and tonal shift without being too dated with boring and age-old costumes, fortunately, the makers didn’t go with the traditional path. The armours, the costumes, the look and feel show the budget and dedication.

Action Scenes

Netflix already has so many great animated shows and movies, like the Blue-Eyed Samurai or Love, Death, and Robots. They all have high-flying action scenes. But Mahavatar Narsimha isn’t far behind. The action scenes are choreographed beautifully without being boring and predictable; they are full of fast, swift, and smart moves. They are designed to look appealing and will keep you glued. The final 25 minutes are the best, and I didn’t move an inch from the chair, yes, it’s that good.

Music, Dialogues, and Overall Package

The protagonist, Prahlad, is a five-year-old child who loves and is devoted to Lord Vishnu. The character has been kept true to its origin without being over the top smart with earworm dialogues. The dialogues feel sweet in the ear without being too much. The script has been designed for a film getting released in 2025, without being full of top-class melodrama. The music also deserves a special mention. It has its own set of bhajans and kirtans along with powerful chants of mantras designed to suit the action scenes. The overall package is perfectly blended.

Gore Violence

I never expected to see so much gory violence in an animated film made in India for kids, that too a mythological one! But the scenes are cool and will give you the adrenaline rush you want to have. The climax scenes, particularly, are bloody and gory.

I regret not watching this in a 3D theatre.

Cons -

Stretchy

The only con that I felt for this film is that it could have been trimmed by at least another 30 minutes. When the film is titled so, I would definitely go to the theatre to see the carnage of the half beast, half man, right? But the carnage begins only in the final 30 minutes. The first one and a half hour feels good, but then it feels like the torture of Prahlad becomes repetitive, and all of us just root for the avatar to come and begin his tandaav.

Final Words

In a time when Bollywood has stopped making films for kids and forcing them to turn towards foreign animes or other sources of entertainment, it feels good to see someone at least trying their best to bring back mythology stories for the modern kids in a way that they would love to see. Despite having some hiccups here and there, Mahavatar Narsimha has everything to make its place right in the hearts of this generation of kids and also entertain viewers of all ages. I myself am looking forward to catching the next instalments on the big screens.

Give it a watch this weekend with your entire family.

Rating:

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Avik

Avik is a self-proclaimed nerdy wordsmith by day, cape-wearing vigilante by night (at least in his head). When he's not weaving clarity into complex tech docs, you’ll find him deep in a movie binge, passionately defending the honor of the DC Universe—because yes, he’s that fan. Marvel? Cool. But DC? Home. Oh, and in case it wasn’t obvious... he totally thinks he’s Batman