Mad Company Review: Vignesh Vijaykumar's quirky comedy is a fun watch despite its minor glitches

3/5

Story:  AK, an out-of-work actor, starts Mad Company, a start-up that provides emotional services to its clients through a set of actors hired for a particular character and period. In the meantime, his arch nemesis Amaran is all out to tarnish the image of the company, through his TV channel.

Review: AK (Prasanna) is a passionate actor, who was once riding on a high in the film industry, but is now out of work after being issued a red card. But not to leave his passion behind, the talented but arrogant AK decides to start a company that provides actors for rent to play certain characters in one's real life. The clients can choose actors of a particular age, gender and other criteria to fill in the shoes of a person they are either missing from their life or someone who they aspire to have in their lives.

The eight-episode series, spanning an average runtime of 30 minutes per episode, begins with a press conference where Podhum Ponnu (Kaniha), a friend of AK, introduces Mad Company. But there is a catch! The founder himself is missing. And as expected, Prasanna gives a heroic entry and manages to convince the press about his quirky idea.

Once the company's business kicks off, we are introduced to the myriad scenarios where the actors go to their client's houses and fill in the shoes of certain people. Be it an ex-police officer hoping to reunite with his eloped daughter, a grieving sister trying to come to terms with her brother's death, a young woman hoping to rekindle her romance with her ex-boyfriend, or even a youngster placing a request for an encounter with a ghost, the episodes are a heady mix of emotional cocktails. Many of the scenarios come across as a tad predictable, but nevertheless are a fun ride.

But it's not all bed of roses for Mad Company. Amaran (SP Charan), an arch nemesis of AK, would go any length to shatter his and his company's reputation through his TV channel. The employees of Mad Company tread a fine line as they try their best to foil the plan and at the same time, convince people that Mad Company is not doing anything unethical in terms of their services.

It's a refreshing change to see Prasanna and Kaniha, whom we last saw onscreen two decades ago, come together and recreate the magic. Prasanna is convincing as an unpredictable and stony-hearted AK, who transitions from one emotion to another with ease. The face-offs between Charan and Prasanna are goofy, but Charan could have done with more screen time. Dhanya Balakrishna's character could have been etched a little better other than being portrayed only as a lovelorn woman. The entire supporting cast, too, have played their roles in a convincing manner.

The best part about the series is that this is a show that one can sit and watch together with the entire family on a weekend. Though Mad Company cannot be called a laugh riot because many times, the lines fall flat, but at the same time, the comedy is clean and doesn't get boring. What didn't really come together in the series is the part about AK's romantic past. Not only did it feel like the couple really didn't make much of an effort to make their relationship work, it seems a tad difficult to believe that Prasanna had no inkling about the fact that a teenager with whom he interacted on a regular basis was indeed his son. And that his friend Podhum Ponnu, who was raising his son as her own, didn't make an effort to divulge her confidante about the crucial part of his life.

This apart, the technical aspects in the series work for the tone and mood of the show. Other than the minor glitches, Vignesh Vijayakumar's Mad Company is a fine binge watch over the weekend.

Verdict: A weekend binge watch with family