Month of Madhu Review

Naveen Chandra and Swathi team up once again. The talented duo is trying for success to make a solid comeback. Will Month Of Madhu fulfill their dreams and overturn their fate? Let’s dig deep into the emotions of Madhu and Lekha.

What is it about?

Madhusudhan Rao (Naveen Chandra) and Lekha (Swathi) love each other and get married against the wishes of their parents. Madhusudhan eventually gets addicted to alcohol and loses his job. Despite several attempts, there is no change in Madhu. Nearly 20 years after the wedding, Lekha decides to divorce Madhu and the case is pending in the court as Madhu fights for the reunion. Meanwhile, a NRI teenage girl Madhu (Shreya Navile) comes to Vizag, India to attend the cousin’s wedding. How this Madhu meets Madhusudhan and what happened in the respective lives and how they are intertwined forms the crux of the story.

Performances

Naveen Chandra dons different styles and at times he is seen in brooding look and other times he is seen clean-shaven handsome look and other times he is seen as alcoholic. In all the avatars, he gives his best. Swati, as usual, delivers natural performance. She keeps saying giving importance to oneself is the utmost important. Viva Harsha as Bushan sticks to his usual style. His pure Vizag slang deserves special mention. Manjula Ghattmaneni isn’t impressive as the teenager mother. Raja Ravindra plays Naveen Chandra’s advocate. He is alright. Rest of the cast fail to make an impact.

Technicalities

A couple’s marriage is on the rocks. Director Srikanth explores the relationship of husband and wife. He also tells a bold, outspoken NRI teenage girl’s story. A weak story is stretched out. Achu Rajamani’s music is alright. The camera work is a huge letdown. Visuals are not impressive. Slow-paced narration tests the audiences’ patience.

Highlights
Husband & Wife Emotion

Drawbacks
Weak Story
Insignificant Scenes
Slow-Paced Narration

Analysis

Month of Madhu on surface deals with couple Madhusudhan and Lekha and also Madhumati who is a teenager rebels against her mom (Manjula Ghattamaneni). The film has only two stories (Madhusudhan & Madhumati) which converge. Unfortunately, both the stories disappoint to the core. What happens when a week’s story is stretched for a month? This is Month of Madhu. Director Srikanth drags this simple story for 2.20 hours testing the viewers patience.

What is the conflict between Madhusudhan and Lekha? What is the problem of Lekha? Well, this has no straight-forward answer. Even Lekha doesn’t express this. She tells her brother, “20 years of pain can’t be said in 20 mins. I also don’t wish to share this in the first place.” The case of Madhu is also similar. He doesn’t really know why Lekha left him and is seeking the divorce. He keeps saying he went out and brought chicken home and she left the home.

Even Madhu’s closest friend Bhushan (Viva Harsha) is unaware of the couple’s break-up. Lekha’s dialogue sums up everything. She says, “Iddaru Vundalsina Pelli Lo Okkare Vundadam Kanna Ontariga Vundadam Manchidi Kada.”

The film oscillates between lives of Madhusudhan & Lekha and a triangular love track of NRI girl Madhu, her crush Darsh and Shady who likes her. The screenplay is back and forth. Yet it doesn’t really add any value or bring change to the proceedings. The teenage girl Madhu’s side of story is a bit enigmatic. Given her bold nature, she confuses the audiences about her virginity. Her track is over the top and looks artificial. Her posh behaviour doesn’t gel with her character trait. Her track isn’t portrayed convincingly. And she realises her mistake by introspection. So are Lekha and Madhusudhan who realise and reunite.

The final portions are not convincing. The end doesn’t justify the means. Also, the story by then has already been stretched out. On the whole, Month of Madhu ends up as a major disappointment. Barring some emotional quotient, the film doesn’t really shine anywhere. Once again, the talented actors Naveen Chandra and Swati got a raw deal and their efforts got wasted.

Verdict: Madhu…Vaddu!

Rating: 1.75/5