What’s it about?
Rakesh (Tharun Bhascker) working in a TV channel gets a shock when he comes to know that one of his videos was put online by a hacker. When his friend Kamesh (Abhinav) prods him when did he shoot for this ‘first-night’ scene with an actress, he reveals the real story. He shot this scene for a film but this clip gives an impression of a real video now. As Rakesh is about to get married to his girlfriend Steffi (Vani Bhojan), he goes on a frenetic mission to delete it online seeking the help of a hacker friend.
Analysis
‘Meeku Maathrame Cheptha’ deals with a very contemporary theme – viral videos and hacking. It is not a porn video but a phone video, says Tharun when his friend doubts him. In the age of internet and social media, everything is viral, every ‘funny’ video gets huge likes. People also start recognizing the persons featured in those ‘viral videos’ as if they are celebrities. This is an everyday feature of our lives. This angle is presented funnily by new writer-director Shammeer Sultan.
The film begins like a buddy movie as a gang gathers to play cricket and one of the characters recalling an old incident. As Abhinav begins to tell the gang how Tharun landed in a problem due to a viral video, the film’s story unravels. But is Abhinav telling the ‘real’ story? That is another topic.
In the very first 20 minutes, the real problem is established. Rakesh (Tharun) has to delete the video that he acted in for a movie. He did this scene for a film hoping to become a hero. But the movie never got finished and this random clip is threatening to spoil his wedding day. A lot of funny dialogues and scenes are thrown in the first half. Some scenes are quite hilarious actually. Most of these scenes have worked with the perfect comic timing of Tharun Bhascker and Abhinav. As said, it is a simple plot. It needs only a short runtime. But even at 120 minutes, the film looks lengthy as the director has included some unwanted episodes in the second half.
The Anasuya’s character and her backstory are unconvincing. A politician coming on to the scene to threaten Tharun has further extended the movie beyond a point. These unnecessary scenes should have limited for better effect.
Though there are many characters, it is largely dependent on Tharun and Abhinav who have given their best. Tharun in his maiden effort as a lead actor is totally convincing. Abhinav has played an equal lead role with panache. Anasuya in a guest role, Vani Bhojan as Tharun’s girlfriend, Avanthika as film heroine, Pavani as Abhinav’s wife are okay.
Technically it is average. Dialogue writing by Tharun and Shammer Sulthan is a huge asset.
Bottom-line: ‘Meeku Maathrame Cheptha’ is a time-pass watch. It works in parts as Tharun and Abhinav are in top form with their natural comic timing. Repetitiveness is its main drawback though.
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