Aadavallu Meeku Johaarlu review: A half-boiled drama

Annoyed by their behaviour, Chiru decides to find a girl himself and falls in love with Aadya (Rashmika Mandanna), the daughter of Nakula (Kushboo Sundar). Nakula is a single mother who rose like a phoenix when her husband and society ditched her. Now, Aadya’s love for her mother is a hindrance in their romance.

The fact that the director attempts to look at the world from a woman’s perspective brings in novelty. However, Kishore fails to push the envelope beyond a point and ends up stressing the same patriarchal norms. For instance, Chiru’s family is all-women but instead of focussing on strengths and vulnerabilities of such a household, the focus is on the pampering that the lone boy in the family receives. He does try to question the patriarchy in the second half through Kushboo’s Nakula, and her backstory is presented sympathetically and with nuance.

The director seems divided whether he wants to make a complete masala entertainer or a message-driven film. He tries to do it all and the result is a mishmash of sorts with hardly any direction.

The characters suffer the same problem. In such a massive cast, hardly anyone — including the leads — get a clearly designed arc. If there is one thing that works in the film, it is the rib-tickling comedy by Vennela Kishore. We just wonder if that will be enough to get audience to theatres?