For once, a kiddie film that doesn’t make you cringe. This part live, part animated tale of Sankat Mochan Hanuman, the monkey god who always comes to the rescue of his ‘bhakts’, has the kind of verve mostly missing from children’s films in India.Little Rameshwari (Ritika), struggling to come to terms with her new step mom, becomes the target of the black-hearted Kokoi (Sushmita).In gallops Hanuman ji, in the guise of young lad Maruti (Erik), and saves her from the wicked old woman and her really bad cohorts—a loafer brother (Shabaaz) and a scary tantrik (Murli).In fact, a big part of the charm of ‘Maruti Mera Dost’ is its array of ultra-colourful villains. Sushmita is a cruel witch, the servant is sly, and the tantrik, robed in black, gives you the creeps. The director gets the balance between the menace and the fun right, though, and we know that everything will be dandy in the end.
