The film is an indulgent throwback to the 70s style family drama, unabashedly stereotypical in its treatment
Widely publicised as a film that’s bringing back the Allari Mogudu combination of Mohan Babu, Ramya Krishna and Meena after 23 years, Mama Manchu Alludu Kanchu would’ve felt outdated even if it had released two decades ago. This time, actors Allari Naresh, Poorna and Ali are part of the mix, but more so as sidekicks to the senior actor.
The film pans out as a confusion comedy, where Mohan Babu finds ways to avoid confrontation between his two wives, Suryakantham (Meena) and Priyamvada (Ramya Krishna). Their identities are like their names, you’re informed – the former’s old worldly, while the other sports a touch of oomph. Besides, Mohan Babu essays a character with his original name here, Bhaktavatsalam Naidu, one who’s always finding ways to play safe and act like a perfect husband to both the wives. Things take a scarier turn when both the children of Mohan Babu, son Gautham (Varun Sandesh, born to Ramya Krishna) and daughter Shruti (Poorna, born to Meena), plan a blind date, unaware of their background. That’s where Bhaktavatsalam Naidu brings Balaraju (Allari Naresh) and Ismail (Ali) into the fray to avoid any further development in the equation. To complicate things, Shruti then falls for Balaraju and the rest has Mohan Babu trying hard to escape from the deadlock in a narrative that hardly has a surprise. Mama Manchu... does have a series of rib-tickling one-liners by Sreedhar Seepana, but it’s stuck so much in an old-fashioned cover that you refuse to look beyond. The melodramatic background score by Koti contributes to it. The laziness of the outcome shows when a flashback episode is not shot and instead has frames conveniently borrowed from Allari Mogudu, the same cast and the ‘stuck between two wives’ backdrop, helping him establish the connections. Also, you see the similarity the makers are trying to strike when they have Mohan Babu appreciating a sequence from the Sobhan Babu-starrer Evandi Aavida Vachindi, where two wives fight for the same man. Meena, in a sati-savitri like response to this, makes him cleanse his mouth. Whatever that means!
Allari Naresh, in a Mohan Babu showcase, doesn’t get a chance to show his worth. Ali’s womaniser demeanours are in bad taste. Ramya Krishna, being reduced to a glamorous add-on, makes matters worse. Meena and Poorna get good screen space, but there’s no value addition. Varun Sandesh, in an extended special appearance, fares marginally better. The length, at 135 minutes is not exactly cumbersome, though the lack of imagination in the entire setting hurts. Watching glimpses from Mohan Babu’s 40-year film journey at the commencement engages you better.
– Srivathsan Nadadhur
Mama Manchu Alludu Kanchu
Cast: Mohan Babu, Allari Naresh, Ramya Krishna, Meena, Poorna
Direction: Sreenivass Redde
Music: Raghu Kunche, Achu Rajamani, Koti
Genre: Family drama
Bottomline: Where’s the punch-u?
