Review: MAD Square

MAD Square is the much-awaited sequel to the hit film, MAD. Directed by Kalyan Shankar, the film has Sangeeth Shoban, Narne Nithin, and Ram Nithin in lead roles. The comedy caped is backed by Sithara Entertainments and has released with yet another biggie, Nithiin’s Robinhood. Read our review here.

Plot

Laddu (Vishnu Oi) lands in Tihar Jail in a frustrated state. Surprised to see a young man like him, his fellow prisoners ask him about his past. In response, Laddu narrates his story and explains how his three foolish college friends, Manoj (Ram Nithin), Ashok (Narne Nithiin), and Damodhar (Sangeeth Sobhan) ruined his wedding and caused chaos that led to multiple crimes. What exactly happened at the wedding? Why did the gang create such a ruckus? And how did all the madness finally come to an end? These form the crux of the film’s storyline.

Performances

More than the three main leads is Vishnu Oi who shines in Mad Square. He is the star of the film, as his expressions and helpless reactions create decent comedy. Being stuck in such craziness, the dialogue he delivers and his mannerisms are quite good. Sunil appears in a key role, but unfortunately, his comedy does not work at all. Neither his humor nor his dialogues, delivered in a deep baritone, manage to click.

Muralidhar Goud, who plays a crucial role, performs well. His chemistry with Vishnu Oi is particularly impressive. Ram Nithin, Sangeeth Shoban, and Narne Nithin play their parts well. Since they are mostly seen together as a group, no one stands out individually but does what is required in each scene. Except for Sangeeth Shoban, the other two need to improve their comic timing.

Technical Aspects

Bheems Ceciroleo has composed the music, but the songs are not particularly impressive. Apart from the Swathi Reddy number, the rest fail to make an impact. The writing is quite weak, with very few engaging moments that stand out. The writer has focused more on creating situations that allow for comedy rather than building strong narrative hooks. The camerawork is neat, and the production values are decent. However, the film’s background score is a bit too loud, and the screenplay feels flat. While some jokes land well, many others seem forced. Director Kalyan Shankar has approached the film with comedy as the sole priority, resulting in a narrative that lacks depth and remains largely one-dimensional.

Positives:

Few Fun Moments
⁠Laddu & His Fathers Humor
Crispy Runtime

Negatives:

Cliched Screenplay
⁠No Plot / No Story
Feels boring at times

Analysis

MAD Square is the sequel to the hit film MAD, and by the looks of it, the film was made purely to cash in on the popularity of the franchise. While MAD balanced fun, romance, and an engaging youthful track, the second installment focuses solely on comedy, often at the expense of logic. Situations seem to have been inserted just to generate laughs, making the comedy feel forced at times.

Several comedic scenes, especially in the second half when the story shifts to Goa, fail to land properly. The key supporting cast, including Anthony and Satyam Rajesh, is underutilized, coming across as unnecessary extensions with no real purpose.

Though the film is a comedy caper, a few well-placed emotional moments could have made a significant impact. However, that does not happen, and the film continues with relentless comedy, often feeling excessive. The one-liners work only to an extent, and the humor lacks an organic flow.

Music plays a crucial role in youthful entertainers, but here, the songs fall flat. One of the biggest drawbacks of the film is its second half. After an engaging first half, the story fails to take off, with the director seemingly running out of ideas. Instead of developing the plot, the latter half relies on humor and silly sequences to stretch the film until the climax.

A stronger narrative with natural interactions between the trio could have elevated the film, but instead, the focus remains on external factors to drive the comedy. The sole agenda of MAD 2 is to create humor, but does it succeed compared to the first part? The answer is not to an extent of part1. However, some comedic moments may still appeal to younger audiences.

Bottom Line: Strictly for few laughs

Rating: 2.75/5