Were the makers of Sarkaru Vaari Paata right in editing out Murari Vaa from the initial cut? Mahesh Babu’s fans are divided

A good, successful film is a result of many key creative and commercial decisions - the main challenge remains to grasp audience’s changing tastes. At the time of Sarkaru Vaari Paata’s release, a lot of Mahesh Babu fans were disappointed that the song Murari Vaa, which was eventually replaced by Ma Ma Mahesha, couldn’t make it to the final cut even during the end credits.

Well, now that Murari Vaa is part of the theatrical version and has also released on Youtube, do music buffs still hold the same opinion? The responses have never been so divided. While a few feel the mellowed tone of the song would’ve diluted the momentum of the film in the second half, many opine that the number reminded them of a vintage Mani Sharma melody. And they’re both right in their own ways.

Many are aware by now that the second half of Sarkaru Vaari Paata is its weakling; it’s an energetic number like Ma Ma Mahesha that helps audiences wake up from slumber, given the dullness of the proceedings. S Thaman and Parasuram were not wrong to believe that Ma Ma Mahesha could spring up new enthusiasm into the narrative and the song turned out to be an integral reason behind the film’s popularity.

However, when viewed individually, Murari Vaa, sung by Sruthi Ranjani, ML Gayatri and Sri Krishna, is a beautifully shot number that reminds us of Mani Sharma in his heydays while the visual aesthetic is similar to a song from a typical K Raghavendra Rao film. It’s slightly unfair to reduce its worth just because it couldn’t fit into Sarkaru Vaari Paata’s narrative. But, the headaches for the team didn’t end there.

Armaan Malik, who originally sang for Murari Vaa, reportedly wasn’t even informed that his version wouldn’t be used for the film and has expressed his displeasure on social media. It’s slightly unfortunate that such a situation arose between S Thaman and Armaan, especially after delivering a blockbuster like Butta Bomma from Alaa Vaikunthapurramulo. Sarkaru Vaari Paata, whose theatrical run has more or less ended, is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Vide via PPV model for Rs 199.