Mad Square, produced by Sithara Entertainments and Fortune Four Cinemas, was released in theatres today. In this section, we are going to review the latest box office release.
Plot:
DD, Ashok and Manoj attend their college buddy Laddu's wedding. Since their reunion is happening three years after their college life concluded, they hope to have a blast. The three guests show over-enthusiasm in displaying their affection towards the groom Laddu, who is desperate to tie the knot. When the bride shocks him with a twist, Laddu is humiliated. To cheer him up, his three friends plan a Goa trip. There, they cross paths with a silly cop and a sillier don.
Performances:
Sangeeth Sobhan's performance is superb. He and the rest of the actors uplift the chaotic, over-the-top energy of the film. They deliver their lines with a punchy rhythm to ensure that most jokes land. From their sly quips to their exaggerated/deadpan reactions, everything is aimed at amusing the audience. They pull off cartoonish stunts with boundless energy. Vishnu Oi is somewhat monotonous. Narne Nithiin and Ram Nitin could have been better, too. More than them, it is Sunil (as the absurd don) and Satyam Rajesh (as a nincompoop cop) who are way funny.
Jathi Ratnalu director KV Anudeep's cameo helps. Muralidhar Goud is hilarious as the unemotional father of Laddu. Priyanka Jawalkar is seen as a relaxed, money-minded GF on hire. Monica Reba John doesn't make much impact in a special song.
Technical aspects:
Bheems Ceciroleo's music embraces the ridiculousness of the caper. Vaccharroi should have been allowed its space. Laddu Gaani Pelli is foot-tapping. Thaman's background score commits to the lunacy with a wide-eyed enthusiasm. Shamdat's cinematography and Naveen Nooli's editing are a plus.
Post-Mortem:
MAD Square wears its mad energy on its sleeves. The film, directed by second-time filmmaker Kalyan Shankar, treats its audience to a series of intelligent silly jokes. The tendency of the four friends to shoot each other in the foot leads to a raft of screwball situations that border on the ridiculous.
Laddu's marriage of convenience mirrors reality in today's times. His father has opted for 'eduru katnam', a fact he is embarrassed about. Everyone in the wedding hall is incapable of empathizing with Laddu's emotions. And Laddu himself won't mind leading the rest of his life with a woman who he knows doesn't love him. The wedding turns into a circus of sorts as the three terrible guests (DD, Ashok, Manoj) precipitate a crisis. But they are unconsciously saving their friend from a potential loveless marriage.
There are spoofs on a couple of popular titles like Venkatesh's Raja and Chiranjeevi's Indra. They are neither regular nor artificial.
But MAD Square does have its share of demerits. Once any film enters the crime comedy territory, it inevitably acquires a vast degree of familiar cliche. The novelty and freshness offered by a college campus story (in the case of MAD) gives way to a kidnap comedy in the sequel. This is where the film's durability takes a beating.
The character played by Sunil only adds to the film's overall run-of-the-mill vibe. He appears to have played the very same character a handful of times before. That said, every time the graph beats itself down, the film offers plenty of laughs through its brainless characters who lurch from one self-made crisis to another. Sunil believes he is dangerous but all that his IQ can pull off is an Amrutha Rao from Amrutham.
Closing Remarks:
MAD Square delivers a barrage of laugh-out-loud moments fueled by its clever silliness. While the film's shift into a crime comedy brings familiar cliches, its commitment to absurd humor largely succeeds.
