'Aadavallu Meeku Johaarlu' hit the cinemas today (March 4). The family entertainer is produced by Sudhakar Cherukuri of SLV Cinemas.
Story
Chiru (Sharwanand) has long reached the age of marriage. Thanks to the over-possessive nature of his mother and aunties in the family, Chiru has failed to find a suitable match for years. In comes Aadhya (Rashmika Mandanna), a lawyer who bowls him over with her behaviour. Chiru starts building castles in the air, seeing her marriage with Aadhya as a foregone conclusion. But there comes a twist when Aadhya says that her mother (Khushbu) won't like the alliance. What does Chiru do now? What kind of role do the women in his family have? Answers to these questions are found in the second half.
Performances
Sharwanand is nothing like what we have seen him in 'Jaanu', 'Maha Samudram' and 'Ranarangam'. In the film under review, he galvanizes the playfulness of his 'Mahanubhavudu' act and weds it to a bit of slapstick comedy.
Rashmika is more of the 'Bheeshma' and 'Geetha Govindam' variety minus the zing here. She never elevates any of the scenes, thanks to poor writing. Khushbu was not endearing in 'Agnyaathavaasi', but she is a bit likeable here. Radhika Sarathkumar is wasted but Urvashi is good. Ravi Shankar has a cameo as a strongman. Satya and Vennela Kishore elicit laughs, the latter more than the former. Pradeep Rawat is just there.
Goparaju Ramana, Banerjee, Kalyani Natarajan, Jhansi, and others don't make a mark.
Technical aspects
Cinematographer Sujith Sarang has previously done semi-genre films in Telugu: 'Dear Comrade' and 'Taxiwaala'. 'AMJ' is more mainstream for him. His work is adept. A Sreekar Prasad's editing is adequate. The running time of the movie is 141 minutes.
Devi Sri Prasad is in his comfort zone. His music doesn't break new ground but it is enjoyable nevertheless. The title track, 'Oh My Aadhya', 'Awesome' and 'Mangalyam' work to an extent.
Analysis
This film was supposed to present the female perspective. But the extreme characterizations and boring situations make it an underwhelming tale. The premise itself is weak but that's not the dominant flaw here. 'AMJ' lacks an emotionally-satisfying narrative that goes beyond cliches.
The first half is more watchable than the second half. The initial scenes set up the childhood life of Chiru and how his aunties see a son in him. But the comedy ceases to tickle the funny bone after a point (except when Vennela Kishore and Satya are around). Urvashi is a stellar comedienne and she manages to draw laughs in the pre-interval scene. That's all can be said about the family comedy.
The rom-com track is staged in a routine fashion. Rashmika's character barely expresses herself, with or without dialogues. As such, the love track is reduced to comedy. There are no emotional highs because of the lack of chemistry between the hero and heroine.
The second half harangues us with lifeless dialogues. There is also a sub-plot involving two lovers that belongs to the 2000s-era Telugu cinema. The hero resolves it in a snap after a comedy scene.
It's the climax that works to an extent. Even here, the unexciting dialogue-writing doesn't really redeem the film. Director Kishore Tirumala doesn't offer anything new beyond the premise of a young male becoming a victim of excessive concern shown by his female elders.
Closing Remarks
'AMJ' turns out to be a mediocre family entertainer riddled with cliches and dry dialogues.
