After the super hit Little Hearts, Bunny Vas’s latest film Mithra Mandali is now out in theatres. The film belongs to the buddy comedy genre and carries decent expectations. Its promotional content has been moderately impressive, featuring some of the most popular comedians in the industry. Let’s see how entertaining this film turns out to be.
Mithra Mandali Story: In a town called Janglipatnam, four friends (Priyadarshi, Rah Mayur, Vishnu Oi, and Prasad Behera), who have little connection to the city, get into serious trouble after an incident involving the daughter of Narayana (VTV Ganesh), the most powerful caste leader in town. What is the problem? How do they get out of it? That’s essentially the premise of Mithra Mandali.
Performances: The film features many of the industry’s top comedians, but ironically, none except Satya manages to evoke genuine laughter. Seasoned comedians like Priyadarshi, Rah Mayur, Vishnu Oi, Prasad Behera, and Vennela Kishore appear on screen, yet the audience rarely laughs, not because the dialogues lack punch, but because the characters don’t work out well.
Niharika, who intended to make a mark as a heroine, needed to pay more attention to her screen presence. Apart from one introductory scene, she fails to make an impression. Satya is the only notable performer who appears midway through the film and successfully evokes laughter from the audience. VTV Ganesh, Jeevan, and others fail to land their comic timing, mainly due to the weak grip on scene execution.
Technical Aspects: RR Dhruvan’s music tries to support the comic tone, but it ends up resembling a Jabardasth skit that fails to click. Siddharth’s cinematography also disappoints—green matte shots and overly bright DI affect the visuals and make the actors’ appearances inconsistent. Departments like production design, sound mixing, and costumes have given their 100%, but the output remains uneven. The production values are not that great. But it is the writing that has failed big time in the film.
Anlaysis: Director Vijender deserves mention first. His writing does contain a sense of humor, but the real issue lies in the scene composition. Crafting a comedy scene isn’t just about writing funny dialogue; it’s about timing, pacing, and making sure the audience connects and enjoys it. Vijender falters on that front.
His intent is clear; he attempts satire on several aspects of modern society: youth obsessed with social media, parental pressure, caste politics, and blind followers of opportunistic leaders. These themes had strong potential, but the satire doesn’t land effectively.
A satire should first make the audience laugh and then provoke thought, but that balance is missing here. Perhaps handling too many characters made things slip out of control. Ultimately, Vijender’s execution is the key reason Mithra Mandali doesn’t work.
There’s no fixed rule on how comedy should work; it can succeed in unpredictable ways. But for a comedy to connect, audiences must relate to the situations and laugh together. That sense of rhythm and natural humor is missing in Mithra Mandali.
Verdict: On the whole, Mithra Mandali has a few scenes that carry satire, but they lack genuine humor. Unfortunately, the efforts of four producers, twenty comedians, and numerous technicians have gone in vain, making this a below-par watch this weekend.
Bottom Line: Comedy falls flat
Mithra Mandali Rating: 2/5
Home
