Aadavallu Meeku Johaarlu Review – Same Old Melodrama

BOTTOM LINE
Same Old Melodrama

OUR RATING
2.25/5

CENSOR
2h 21m, ‘U’ Certified

What Is the Film About?

Chiru (Sharwanand) and Aadhya (Rashmika Mandanna) meet in pretty normal circumstances. With each meeting, Aadhya is more impressed with Chiru and his nature. Slowly, Chiru develops feelings but is reluctant to let them out based on his marriage experiences with several ladies.

What happens when Chiru accidentally slips out his feeling towards Aadhya? Did she agree? The movie’s basic plot is what problems Chiru faces and how he overcomes them.

Performances

Sharwanand is in his elements as usual. He gets the comedy timing right, and it’s good to see him a lively role after a gap. He also has the mandatory sentiment scenes despite the ladies’ crowd in the film.

However, when it comes to appearance, one can feel a sense of bloatedness.  Sharwanand looks a bit heavy and chubby, and even the voice sometimes quivers (it could be intentional, though). It is time, we feel, he takes stock of his physicality before it goes out of hand. Barring the ‘physical’ aspect, there is nothing to complain about, at the same time, noting to praise, too. It is a regular outing for him, done alright.

Analysis

Successful director Kishore Tirumala helms Aadavallu Meeku Joharlu. The secret of the success of Kishore Tirumala is a fine blend of comedy and drama (via the writing) more than the stories. The latter mostly feel like rehashes of old movies. It is the same case with Aadavallu Meeku Joharlu. Only, here the emotions too feel contrived.

The movie begins establishing the whole women gang. There are many faces, but only a couple of them have something to say. There is no compelling drama related to the characters or between the characters. Even at that, the attempt is to build a fun vibe superficially, which is typical of the genre seen particularly in Venkatesh movies of the yore.

Then we slowly move to the lead pair track. A relationship is established between them without them actually being part of it. The heroine likes the modesty and attitude of the hero, and similarly, the hero likes the heroine for her appearance, looks and so on. There is no chemistry between them, and even the proposal happens accidentally. And before we know it, there is the interval.

In short, we have very little happening story-wise. There is hardly any conflict at all, and whatever happens, it is around the interval mark. The rest is just a bunch of feel-good sequences stitched together with little impact.

One hopes the second half has something more, a little bit more fun, drama and emotions along with a strong story. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

The story continues to be wafer-thin, and the emphasis is still on the comedy. A couple of bits do work (again, depending on the taste), but Kishore Tirumala drops the ball when it comes to the core emotions and drama.

It is at the emotional level that Aadavallu Meeku Joharlu fails to connect. Kishore Tirumala’s success so far has been getting the ‘emotional chord’ right. Be it Satyaraj’s flashback and childhood montage bits in Nenu Shailaja or the father and son scenes in Chitralahari. In the case of Aadavallu Meeku Joharlu, Khushbu’s role falls flat. There is no meat to her part apart from looking stoic and determined. In fact, it is the case with all the ladies despite such a title. Everyone has half-baked, poorly written roles.

The melodrama between these characters is handled like a TV serial. It is OK to take a soap opera approach, but the clichés and predictable emotion amplify the effect. Amidst all these, the lead pair feels lost. So when Aadhya expresses her position (and there is a good emotion behind it), it hardly registers. That it brings about the change makes the whole thing looks rushed and forced.

The switch to feel-good happy comic space immediately after the heavy melodrama appears jarring at the end.

Overall, Aadavallu Meeku Joharlu attempts to be a feel-good fun-family drama. It has so-so fun, a little feel-good appeal, but it fails at the story and emotional level beyond these superficial touches. They are wafer-thin, half baked and utterly predictable. If you like the genre and don’t mind the routineness and melodrama, give the movie a try, otherwise stay away.

Other Artists?

Rashmika Mandanna looks pleasing to the eye as long as she doesn’t talk. Because when she does, it distracts us from the lovely stylish and fab costumes. Rashmika dubbing for herself is commendable, but the result isn’t entirely satisfactory. Leaving that aside, even role wise, there is nothing memorable here.

Among the women gang surrounding Sharwanand, Urvashi and Radhika stand out. They are the ones leading the charge from the start. They bring their experience to the table but still fail to create an impact due to poorly written parts. Khushbu belongs to the other end. She has a powerful buildup, but it fails to deliver the necessary emotion. Nothing to fuss about the acting, but again it’s the weak role that is the undoing. Jhansi has a brief part, and she is fine.

Vennela Kishore and Satya handle the comedy. They are good individually and deliver a couple of funny moments. The rest of the actors don’t have much of a role.

Music and Other Departments?

Devi Sri Prasad’s music is fine. He has delivered a couple of hummable numbers, which are decently placed. The background score, too, is alright, although nothing special. It serves the purpose. Sujith Sarang helps in giving a colourful vibe to the proceedings with his visuals. A Sreekar Prasad’s editing is neat.

Highlights?

Casting
Feel-Good Vibe In First Half
Few Comedy Bits
Nicely written dialogues in parts

Drawbacks?

No Chemistry Between Leads
TV Serial Like Drama
Predictable Emotions
Zero Novelty in plot
Ending

Did I Enjoy It?
Few parts

Will You Recommend It?
With huge reservations

Aadavallu Meeku Johaarlu Movie Review by Siddartha Toleti