BOTTOM LINE
A New Age Comedy That Falls Flat
OUR RATING
1.75/5
CENSOR
‘UA’ Certified
What Is the Film About?
Sambasiva Rao aka Sam (Akkineni Nagarjuna) is a Portugal resident who becomes a playboy after love failure. He decides never to marry and only dedicates his life to make love. What happens when his extended joint family forces him to marry? How he escapes it with a master-plan involving a girlfriend for rent is what the movie is all about.
How Is Akkineni Nagarjuna’s Performance?
Nagarjuna is smashing and dashing as far as looks are concerned. It is one of the reasons why the title doesn’t look odd for him even at that age. All the exterior details have been neatly worked out. However, when it comes to the acting, it is the same old with no freshness to say. We have seen all that before. It goes well with the terrain, so there is nothing to complain really. It is only brought up because the effort put on apparel isn’t visible on the acting. In Manmadhudu, both the departments worked out.
Direction by Rahul Ravindran?
Rahul Ravindra made a decent debut with Chi La Sow. Watching his sophomore attempt, we can’t help but recollect a part of the interview for Manmadhudu 2 that he gave in the run-up to the release. He said that his debut was 20 percent comedy and 80 percent emotion, whereas Manmadhudu 2 exact opposite with 80 percent comedy and 20 percent emotion. Looking at the film, this is where everything seems to have gone wrong.
A film with a wafer-thin plotline relying heavily on comedy needs to have the writing of highest order. It needs to be on the mark from the word go and relentless and engaging so that the story takes a back seat. The audience won’t mind if that is the case.
Rahul Ravindran seems to know this very well and packs the movie with comedy in the manner described above. Only here, it doesn’t work as he expects. So, you have a film that is eighty percent comedy and is relentless in its efforts but doesn’t work. You know what is in store. That is Manmadhudu 2 in short.
The problem is the uneasy blend of various styles of comedy. The deadpan, satirical, slapstick and risqué humour are all thrown in using different characters. With no cohesiveness and focus, the whole exercise looks pointless. More than anything, the problem is the derivativeness of the entire work. It is as if the writers looked at a hundred different things to fit in instead of approaching it organically through the world of the characters.
It is here the issue of remake surfaces. The sensibilities of the original and its world are different. Instead of breaking it entirely down to basics and reassembling it for Telugu audience and there tastes, the original plot has been merely filled with content that makes it look different superficially. What you get as a result is the same film as ‘original’ with a different package instead of a ‘different’ one with the soul of the original intact.
It is what makes remaking a tricky affair because sometimes recreating the original also works out well when the ‘sensibilities’ of the original and remake to its respective audience are same. In the case of the Manmadhudu 2, the original is a niche content that needed overhauling in real sense.
The first half is a complete bore and what makes the experience further worse is the liberal dosage of Portuguese dialogues thrown in. One wonders what were the makers thinking here. That the audience will be thrilled at Telugu actors mouthing a different language?
After a plain interval bang, the second half resumes with the same inane narrative of the first one. It is only towards the pre-climax and climax moments that we feel some relief when the emotional angle takes over. It is highly predictable and clichéd, but given all that has transpired before, it comes across as a significant relief. Part of the reason is also the relatability to the content which has been missing previously.
Overall, Manmadhudu 2 is a misfire. It is a failure from the writing perspective more than anything. It is a tedious and bland outing with boring characters that test the patience of the audience.
[m9ad]
Rakul Preet and Others?
Rakul Preet Singh gets a normal heroine part with a slight difference. She has a backstory and the character, even if regular, seems to be well rounded. Rakul has done a decent job. She doesn’t bring anything fresh to make it unique but does enough of the typical stuff to make it look alright.
Apart from her, there is a huge ensemble cast comprising of many famous names. From senior actor Lakshmi to Rao Ramesh, from Vennela Kishore to Jhansi, we see several faces. They all have decent parts, but nothing works out as far as giving an engaging and satisfying outing goes. Vennela Kishore manages to be an occasional relief, though, with his current extraordinary form. Samantha and Keerthy Suresh’s special appearances doesn’t add any value. Brahmanandam is also seen in a blink and miss scene.
Music and Other Departments?
Chaitan Bharadwaj comes up with trendy and peppy numbers. A couple of them do sound well, but that’s about it. The background score is decent, at best. The cinematography is cool, and it helps in getting the vibe of the movie right. The editing is okay, looking at the content that is at hands.
Highlights?
Few comedy scenes
Final twenty minutes (when compared with the rest)
Drawbacks?
Writing
Absolute lack of nativity
Most of the movie
Zero emotional connection
Alternative Take
More than an alternative take, we recommend anyone interesting in movies to watch the original French movie. It gives one an idea to how not approach a remake.
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
No
Manmadhudu 2 Review by KK US
Final Report:
Manmadhudu 2 is a grave injustice to Manmadhudu for invoking its name. Nothing works as the writing is bland and the comedy falls flat. Pointless characters moving in and out purposelessly make the movie tiring and thoroughly boring affair.
Visit back for our frank review soon.
– Manmadhudu 2 comes to an end. Final report shortly.
– Sam and Avantika’s contract period is coming to an end. The movie is now heading towards the climax.
– The second half started. Avantika moves into Sam’s (Nag) home.
– Sam’s (Nag) wedding called off as per the plan. Interval.
– Nag’s mother (Lakshmi) and other family members force him marry even though he is late for wedding. Nag sets a deal with Avantika (Rakul) to play his girl. Avantika charges hourly rate for being his lover.
-Sam (Nag) has a bitter love flashback. He turns a big time flirt and leads a play boy life.
– Manmadhudu 2 opens in Portugal. Sam (Nag), a perfume expert runs a home perfume lab. Vennela Kishore works as his personal assistant.
Manmadhudu 2 US Premier live updates will begin at 4.30 am IST (6 PM EST).
Preview: Manmadhudu 2
There would be no second thoughts in agreeing that ‘Manmadhudu 2‘ is all getting its due credits because of Nagarjuna. He is the soul of the film and he did his bit just by his presence and his youthful looks.
The prequel of the movie ‘Manmadhudu’ was a great entertainer with great sense of humour being its forte. That’s what ‘Manmadhudu 2’ is going to bank upon. If the new age comedy works, it means, the movie will also work.
Comparing the sequel with the super hit prequel, the latter had good music and some evergreen melodies like ‘Gundello Emundo Kallallo Telusthundi’. This present movie has no chartbuster song and therefore, the music album can be given a miss.
However, the music director’s work would be helpful for his music timing being in sync with the comic timing. A lot depends on how director Rahul Ravindran had indianized the adaptation of the super hit film from French, ‘I Do’.
The teaser, trailer and the promotional material had garnered good attention for the movie in every aspect. Audiences are expecting to watch an ‘F 2’ kind of entertaining movie and if Rahul delivers on this front, there would be no looking back.
So, it’s time to know how Nag could lure a much younger girl Rakul and in the process provide entertainment for the viewers. Stay tuned for ‘Manmadhudu 2’ genuine review from our mirchi9 team. Keep watching this space, folks!
