Manmadhudu 2 Review
Manmadhudu 2 Review
Telugu360 Rating 2.5/5
Akkineni Nagarjuna returns back to rom-coms with Manmadhudu 2 which sees him playing a middle-aged bachelor who prefers casual flings to marriage. Directed by Rahul Ravindran, the film has Rakul Preet Singh as the leading lady and host of prominent actors in pivotal roles.
Can Manmadhudu 2 repeat the magic of Manmadhudu at the box office? Let’s find out. Here is our review.
Story :
Sam alias Sambasiva Rao ( Nagarjuna ) is a Casanova who lives in Portugal along with personal assistant Kishore ( Vennela Kishore). His family pushes him to get married as he already past his marriage age. To get away from them, he requests and contracts Ms. Avantika ( Rakul Preet) to pretend as his lover for two weeks. Rest of the story is how the fake lover works with his family to get the things done.
Analysis:
Manmadhudu-2 story has nothing to do with its predecessor. Makers are honest to that extent and in prerelease interviews cautioned audience not to compare this film with ‘Manmadhudu’.
The story has backdrop of a city called ‘cassandhra’ located in Portugal. Though the intention is to be funny, the family setup and their characterizations are totally out of zone.
This film has a flimsy storyline which has shades of nineties Telugu movies. This farcical film largely depends on Vennela Kishore’s comedy which worked in first half, partial in 2nd half. The movie rides on Vennela Kishore and he gets more screentime than the protagonist. Hero Sam, Heroine Avantika roles have been written with no real strength to their characterizations. Nagarjuna’s onscreen image in his hayday is a ‘Heartthrob’, but in this film the thick line between a heartthrob and a womanizer is blurred and Sam characterization doesn’t appeal to his age. This character is a forgettable one for him. Looks-wise he is very good in this film though. Rakul preet Singh looked good, performed good as well.
Maybe to make this film appeal to youth, a generous dose of double entendre, adult comedy scenes are inserted. Even in the days of Jabardasth, the double meaning dialogues are too much to take and will be an uneasy watch with kids. Vennela Kishore as Kishore is hilarious for majority part of the film. Rao Ramesh excels as mamiah of Sam.
Even though Nagarjuna hesitates to admit, the reason Manmadhudu is a good watch even today is Trivikram’s punch dialogues and the timing. M2 fails big in that aspect, especially in the second half. The iconic Brahmanandam Escalator scene from the original is repeated in this movie again and was poorly executed.
Positives:
- Nagarjuna’s looks
- Vennela Kishore Comedy
- High quality technical, production values
Negatives:
- Poor direction, script writing
- Weird story with no nativity
- Lack of musical hit songs
- Adult comedy crosses the line
Verdict
Manmadhudu-2 fails to meet the minimum bar of a franchise film. One wonders how Nagarjuna, who is a tasteful producer, allowed too much adult content as he has a good following in families. This film provides some youth appealing entertainment with its double meaning dialogues and leaves other departments unsatisfactorily. In an attempt to make a new generation hatke comedy film, director – writer Rahul Ravindran ended up making a film that doesn’t match to Nagarjuna’s stature.
Telugu360 Rating 2.5/5
