'MAD' is out in the theatres today (August 6). In this section, we are going to review the latest box office release.
Story
Aravind (Rajath Raghav) is an orphan who has been taken care of by Madhav (Madhav Chilkuri). They are thick friends. If Aravind grew up to be a happy-go-lucky youngster who drinks and has masthi, Madhav, born to a rich businessman, has no sense of responsibility either. The two friends while away time doing nothing and drinking at night.
When Aravind enters into a relationship with Akhila (Swetha Varma) and Madhav marries Madhuri (Spandana Palli), they encounter major hiccups in their relationships with their respective partners. How they overcome them is the crux of the second half.
Performances
The story essentially revolves around four characters, each of which is played by unknown faces. Rajath Raghav, who speaks in the Telangana slang and breaks into Urdu couplets now and then, is somewhat over the top. Madhav Chilkuri, who plays a flirt and a married man, looks dignified. He is like your TV serial actor who shows great promise. Swetha Varma, who was recently seen in 'Pachchis', should have been sparkling in the role of a liberal-minded woman who believes that sex is indispensable. Spandana Palli, who plays a demure wife who hasn't gotten over her past, is impressive.
Technical aspects
'MAD' was apparently conceived as a musical relationship drama. Given this factor, the songs should have been placed better and elevated even better. Mohith Rehamaniac comes across as a decent talent, and he even deploys singer Kailash Kher for a Hindi-language Sufi song. The cinematography is a huge letdown. The lighting department doesn't ensure that the actors look fresh.
Analysis
Writer-director Laxman Meneni tells a relationship drama with a lot of simplistic scenes undoing its okayish premise. As the story progresses, the characterizations stop making any sense.
Coming-of-age romantic relationship stories shouldn't commit the mistake of presenting only one point of view. 'MAD', which is a short form of 'Marriage And Divorce', fails to convince us that the fears and anxieties of its female characters have been duly taken into consideration. The male perspective gets a dominant space in the story. In the climax, however, it's shown as if the males have finally realized that they have to come of age.
The songs are not laced with the jarring scenes effectively. They echo the innermost feelings of the protagonists, who otherwise come across as sketchy.
If the first half is hilariously asinine, the second half literally tests the audience's patience. The resolution is quick and too easy. We almost wonder if there was an issue in their lives.
Closing Remarks
'MAD' is mad at the audience's intelligence. It has two love stories and a couple of bedroom moments that look uninteresting even if you are high on your libido. After insulting your romantic cravings with its bedroom scenes, the film proceeds to hurt your higher instincts as well with its unwatchable emotional scenes.
