Manchi Rojulochaie movie review: More eccentric than entertaining

2/5

Story:

Santosh and Padma, colleagues at a software firm based in Bengaluru, are head over heels in love with one another. With the onset of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have no choice but to return to their homes in Hyderabad. Santosh is anxious if they would be able to keep the spark in the relationship alive during the lockdown, though they promise to stay in touch. The biggest obstacle to their romance is Padma's over-protective father Gopalam, who's highly suspicious of Santosh's character. Will Gopalam ever be able to accept their relationship?

Review:

One of Maruthi's core strengths as a filmmaker is his ability to weave humour by exaggerating human eccentricities and fears - it's this wackiness that made Bhale Bhale Magadivoy and Mahanubhavudu immensely watchable. In this film, the director toys with the insecurities of a conservative father, who turns out to be the biggest roadblock in his daughter's love life. Unlike Maruthi's better works, he struggles to use the character's quirks to tell an engaging story. The film has a wafer thin plot that loses its spunk by focusing on his eccentricities time and again, and the humour turns tiresome.

The laughs are quite free-flowing while the movie doesn't take itself so seriously in the first hour. The characters aren't rooted in reality, but who cares as long as escapism is fun? Some neighbours just can't stand people being so happy with their lives, there's a homemaker who never gets tired with her strange experiments in the kitchen. A male nurse keeps asking people if they're interested to have a seat in his ambulance. There's a doctor who's tired of his patients Googling about their medical treatment and offering him suggestions in return.

The awkward behaviour of these characters in strange situations is weirdly comforting for some time. The film's troubles begin when the conservative, suspicious father begins justifying why he's been in 'beti bachao' mode all his life and that his daughter needs to be 'protected' from her lover. For a brief while, the daughter too thinks that the father has every right to be possessive of her and equates this as genuine concern. The conflict between the lead characters is for the same reason and it's just too feeble and frivolous. 

If this wasn't enough, there's a subplot about a person in a family getting affected by COVID-19 and how it helps the female lead's father overcome his fears and insecurities. The thread involving the neighbours - Asuya Anand Rao and Koteswara Rao - is quite jarring beyond a point. It's unimaginable that a neighbour would go to any length to see someone suffer. Although this film isn't meant to portray reality as is, their characterisation leaves you with a sour aftertaste. It's also irritating that the male lead suddenly starts delivering sermons, preachy one-liners about being strong in life.

The problem with Manchi Rojulochaie is not with the characters but with the filmmaker not knowing where to stop - everything is in excess and stretched to the extent of being intolerable. Had the vulgarity in the second hour been toned town and the characters played by Praveen, Viva Harsha, Sudarshan, Vennela Kishore used more sparingly, the film could've still been passable. In the case of an actor like Ajay Ghosh, the question is never about his potential. Here, his effort feels wasted because there's no reason for the viewer to empathise with his part.

Santosh Shobhan, growing in confidence with every outing, and Mehreen Pirzada, as effervescent as ever, are good as an on-screen pair though their characters aren't fleshed out well. Srinivas Reddy's special appearance adds little value while Praveen's antics as 'Appadala Vijayalakshmi' are entertaining in parts. Anup Rubens' music provides some interim relief, especially numbers like So So ga, the title track and Ekkesinde. The melodramatic number about motherly love towards the end could've easily been trimmed and nothing would've changed.

Director Maruthi, who has tried to create his brand of clean humour in his recent outings, oversteps the line this time. The flashes of brilliance are far few and between.

Verdict:

Manchi Rojulochaie has the right ingredients to make for a good light-hearted entertainer though the mix goes for a toss here. The humour works in parts, especially in the first hour. The film has a feeble plot and is too inconsistent and wayward to impress, despite good performances by Ajay Ghosh, Praveen, Santosh Shobhan and Anup Rubens' hummable music. Watch it only if you must!