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Mathu Vadalara 2

Farhad Dalal Founder
By-
Farhad Dalal
Rating
3.5 Star popcorn reviewss

Introduction

It was in the year 2020 during the first lockdown that I was privy to a mad comic caper from the Telugu Film Industry that absolutely blew my mind with the kind of eccentricity that it had to offer. The film was Mathu Vadalara directed by Ritesh Rana, a fresh voice that was absolutely in sync with the new generation besides understanding the pulse of the viewers. One of the facets of the film remained its unhinged humour that was so self-aware that it automatically converted into a meta-reference of sorts. Come 2024, the director and its team did return with its sequel titled Mathu Vadalara 2 which continued the story of Babu and Yesu, the two delivery agents turned special agents who get themselves turmoiled yet again in a crime that they did not commit. And if you do choose to dig deeper, you will see a searing commentary on the star-culture and the pre-release events that made me realise how self-aware the writing was, this time around too. But the question remained on how did Mathu Vadalara 2 impress as opposed to its predecessor, and whether it did manage to tickle my funny bone or not….

Story & Screenplay

The premise of Mathu Vadalara 2 is linked to that of its predecessor through a character who played an important part in the first film (besides the protagonists). And credit to the writers for linking the plot points of the two films together particularly in a day and age when films just like to cash in on the popularity of the first film while convenientky dishing out films that aren’t even spiritual sequels in the purest sense. But here, a little montage around a character sets the ball rolling for the drama to follow. Soon, you are introduced to the two protagonists who find themselves in a deadly mission of having to recover a child from the kindnapper “without having to worry about the ransom amount”. And as the drama progresses, you see them exploiting the latter point in a hilarious manner only to eventually land in trouble along the course of the screenplay standing at 140 minutes.

The one thing that I instantly gravitated towards was the quirky yet stylized tone of the drama. From largely text appearing onscreen during a scene in progress, to the meta-reference in a scene, the drama gets its tone pitch perfect. For instance, you are introduced to the character of Nidhi (an incredible Faria Abdullah) being tasked with a case while she was in a ‘Chinse’ robe/gown of sorts – only for her to disconnect the phone and repeatedly pierce a sharp object in the neck of a random guy. Further, you see a bunch of henchmen appear while being ready for a fist-fight only for Nidhi to say that she is short of time while gunning down each one of them. The scene was hilarious to the core, even as the focus then shifts to the shady antics of the two protagonists Babu (an in form Sri Simha) and Yesu (a brilliant Satya) as they look to illegally extort money while putting put a facade of saving the victims who are kidnapped. In a sub-plot of sorts that is used as a hilarious parallel track, you are privy to an absurd soap opera that has some hilarious plot-points of its own almost acting as a warning for the viewers to know what to expect next in the main plot, tonally speaking.

The proceedings are entertaining and engaging although you do get a slight sense of the drama being fragmented early on. This was because the writers wished to deliberately establish the principal characters in the drama before kickstarting the main plot wherein a simple kidnapping drama turns on its head with the introduction of a murder. This, even as the protagonist duo find themselves embroiled in a crime that they did not commit, with the writers repeatedly throwing in multiple twists in the drama. In a hilarious scene that is brilliantly constructed in the lead up to the halfway mark, you see the duo being witness to a murder in a hotel room (a hilarious reference to the Hindi film Animal that had its terrific interval block staged in a hotel too), only for the cops to suddenly arrive forcing the duo to tamper with the evidence that they may have interspersed, right in front of the cops. It was just so funny that I cracked up laughing.

I must admit that there is a slight dip in the second hour particularly because of the amount of twists that it had to offer. Having said that, the humour is still intact while continuously getting meta with a hilarious commentary on the star culture in the Telugu Film Industry that absolutely had me engaged despite the over-indulgence of the writing with respect to its twists. I did feel though that a subplot involving Vennela Kishore did stretch a little too far for my liking, passing such an important issue as a comedy which wasn’t necessary at all. Yet, the final act coupled with its multiple set of revelations was good and quite fun to witness, thereby summing up the screenplay that is hilarious and makes for a wonderful watch.

Dialogues, Music & Direction

The dialogues are meta and perfectly in sync with the mood of the drama that contributes to multiple laughs along the way. The music and BGM are trippy and eccentric but like the first film, and both facets do their bit in enhancing the drama at many places in the narrative. The cinematography coupled with its eccentric lighting just makes for such a trippy narrative exploring the psyche of a few characters in a state of trance so wonderfully well. The editing is crisp and sharp with some amazing transition shots that lead to multiple laughs along the way. Director Ritesh Rana is one of those rare voices in the Telugu Film Industry that is fast breaking the template of storytelling that is so unique to him. It is so good to see a young voice getting a chance and making full use of them while integrating and embarking a style of his own – be it with the world building or the eccentric characterization. The direction is simply brilliant here while constructing a drama that is unhinged with its humour and a lot of fun to witness.

Performances

The performances are wonderful by the ensemble cast. Isha Yadav as Riya has her moments to shine and she does a terrific job here. Ajay as Akash, Rohini as Deepa and Raja Chembolu as Saxena are such terrific actors and each of them have their moments to shine while contributing to the hilarious screenplay heavily. Vennela Kishore as ‘Youth Star’ Yuva is hilarious to the core, like he always is. His rendition of the character that he essays also acts as a hilarious commentary on star culture and makes for a rib-tickling watch. Faria Abdullah as Nidhi has a towering presence, both literally and figuratively, and she is natural to the core without losing the tone of her character. Sri Simha Koduri as Babu is in fine form here and he almost matches the comic timing of Satya, beat to beat while delivering a solid performance overall. But the star of the show has to be Satya who is incredibly funny as Yesu. The man is clearly blessed with a brilliant knack for a comedy and a comic timing to die for, so much so that his lesser transition moves also garner laughter (that green tea scene was hilarious). His ability to find humour at the most bizarre places is a study in itself, on how to approach comedy as a genre while being fully committed to the moment. He is excellent here in a hilarious performance for the ages!

Conclusion

Mathu Vadalara 2 is an eccentric crime comedy with excellent performances that makes for an intensely hilarious watch. Available on Netflix.

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