BOTTOM LINE
A Dull and Boring Comedy
OUR RATING
2/5
CENSOR
‘U/A’ Certified, 2 hrs 00 mins
What Is the Film About?
All hell breaks loose when an inappropriate video of Rakesh (Tharun Bhascker) is leaked online. He is days away from getting married to his love. What he does along with this partner in crime Abhinav Gomatam to take down the clip is what the movie is all about?
How Is Tharun Bhascker’s Performance?
Meeku Mathrame Chepta is not the acting debut of director Tharun Bhascker. He did a supporting role earlier in the year in the movie Falaknuma Das. He looked confident in that film. But, doing a small-time part, and a full-time lead are two different kettles of fishes all together.
Debut director Shammeer Sultan has previously assisted Tharun Bhascker in his directorial attempt. It probably gives him a better understanding of what the strengths of Tharun Bhascker’s are, and an entire narrative is built around that personality.
Meeku Mathrame Cheptha relies on body language a lot to generate the comedy. The punches flow casually from seemingly natural but out of control circumstances. Tharun Bhascker is unable to get the balance in energy right in meeting those requirements. He ends up trying too hard many a time. Full marks to the effort, but the ‘effort’ is visible.
It is like a dancer who goes through complicated moves and completes it with a lot of sweat, and it shows. The effortlessness is missing that is so essential for the part.
Direction by Shammeer Sultan?
Shammeer Sultan making his debut has picked a narrative style that is similar to director Tharun Bhascker. Only here the subject is much weaker and relies heavily on the writing and chemistry of the lead actors to pull it off.
Sadly, Shammeer Sultan is not able to do the needed with the narrative as the core content of the whole enterprise, the comedy fails to work. The new-age comedy relying heavily on the two leads, Tharun Bhascker and Abhinav Gomatam gets repetitive and mechanical very soon.
Every scene is conceived to generate comedy and that whole narrative hinges on it to work. Films like these are very hard to pull off. When one watches Meeku Mathrame Cheptha, it is easy to guess why? The whole narrative involving the writer/actor dynamic has to be in sync from start to end. The screenplay will start to drag the moment there is a mismatch.
Still, for the attempt, the first half of Meeku Mathrame Cheptha comes across as a watchable attempt. Yes, there are only a few laughs, but there is a consistency in narrative and overall proceedings.
The second half follows the same pattern, and it gets boring as there is nothing new in the offering. The narrative gets worn out. It is when a few twists are thrown in, and they feel needless entirely. While one of them is fine, the other feels far removed from the rest of the movie. It brings down whatever effort that has been put before.
Overall, Meeku Mathrame Cheptha is based on a small idea that is ideal for either a short or one hour feature. Its core idea is relatable, and a black comedy without overstretching it could have worked well, digitally. But for a big-screen outing, Meeku Mathrame Cheptha is long and overstays its welcome. Watch it only if you have an appetite for comedy and nothing else matters. Otherwise, wait for the streaming.
Vani Bhojan and Others?
Vani Bhojan making her debut with the movie lacks screen presence. Her character is also poorly etched and irritating, which makes it is a disastrous outing for a newcomer. Abhinav Gomatam is like a parallel lead in the film. He is alright in a few sequences, and it is his ‘bromance’ with Tharun Bhascker that is the mainstay of the narrative. Anasuya Bharadwaj has a brief role. She does her part well. Unfortunately, it is not in correlation with the rest of the proceedings. It makes her part and sequences stick out.
The movie is filed with most new artists throughout. But, none has a decently written role in standing out in the crowd. They are come and go with zero impact.
The rest of the actors belonging to the workplace, family and others have a minimal scope. They are given a scene or two at best to make an impression but have nothing to follow up. It is another aspect where the series fails in providing a satisfying experience.
Music and Other Departments?
Sivakumar’s music is alright when heard as a standalone audio. Something different has been attempted, and the lyrics are fun. But, in the movie, it doesn’t leave any impact. The background score is decent in parts. The cinematography by Mathan Gunadeva is a below par. It gives the movie a short film vibe. The editing by Sreejith Sarang is okay. The production lacks a slick quality that is essential for these flicks.
Highlights?
Few Comedy Sequences
Duration
Core Point
Drawbacks?
Comedy Fails Largely
Trying Too Hard To Be Funny
Needless Twist Towards End
Alternative Take
Better writing and casting would have elevated the same premise without going for a ‘twist’ in the tale.
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
No
Meeku Maathrame Cheptha Review by Siddartha Toleti
Final Report:
There is no respite in the second half also (refer to our first half report). Visit back for our frank review and rating in a few minutes.
– Meeku Maathrame Cheptha comes to an end. Vijay Deverakonda’s promotional song begins after the movie ends. Final report shortly.
– In an unexpected twist, the truth about the video victim is revealed. It wasn’t Tharun Bhascker.
– The second half started. Finally, the online video was removed but a hacker who got the hold of the video starts blackmailing Tharun and his friends for 20 Lakhs.
First Half Report:
A simple short-film idea is stretched into a movie banking heavily on comedy. Barring a couple of scenes, nothing works. Poor production values compound the effect.
Unless there is a remarkable improvement in the second half, it would be hard for Meeku Mathrame Chepthe to recover from this point. Let’s see if there is a surprise in store.
– Anasuya enters as a friend’s strict sister. The video views online are getting increased. Interval.
– Tharun Bhascker and Abhinav trying to remove the video with the help of a hacker friend.
– Tharun Bhascker falls in love with a doctor. He is worried that his video uploaded online will spoil his chances of marrying her.
– Abhinav Gomatam sharing a flashback episode of Tharun Bhascker’s leaked video how he is embarrassed.
– Meeku Maathrame Cheptha show started with a group friends chilling out and Rakesh (Tharun Bhascker) working in a tv channel.
Preview: Meeku Matrame Chepta
As we wrote, despite the visible, aggressive promotion from the team and producer Vijay Deverakonda, the excitement in the audience is missing. Will the small film Meeku Maathrame Chepta spring a surprise?
Vijay Deverakonda started his own production trying to be in a safe zone making his production debut with a small budget movie with a shoestring budget with a debutante director Shammeer Sultan and director Tharun Bhascker as the lead actor in the movie.
However, will such a movie be able to pull audiences to the theatres when Amazon Prime is taking over these small films in a couple of weeks after the release? That’s the big question with regard to MMC.
So, the word of mouth is very crucial for ‘Meeku Matrame Chepta’ from the get-go. We have to see if Vijay Deverakonda’s name as the producer of the movie will help in the openings or not.
No doubt, the movie is targeted at young audiences. Will youth fill the seats in the theatres? It’s time for our mirchi9 team’s ‘Meeku Matrame Chepta’ genuine review. Keep watching this space, folks!
