Cast: Naresh Agastya, Brahmaji, Harsha Chemudu, Sudharshan, Riya Suman, Priyanka Sharma, Mourya Siddavaram, Kaushik Ghantasala, Ashritha, Karthik Adusumilli
Director: Srikanth G. Reddy
Producer: Mourya Siddavaram
Music: Elisha Praveen G. and Osho Venkat
Cinematography: PC Mouli
Editor: Karthik Vunnava
Plot:
Three friends, Aditya (played by Naresh Agastya), Sanju (played by Kaushik Ghantasala), and Munna (played by Mourya Siddavaram), meet at a pub named StagsOnly. As the name suggests, we only get to see men, who discuss their share of problems with their wives and girlfriends. Aditya is a sales guy who finds a job in a female-dominated company where clients prefer women to come and give presentations. Munna is a mechanic who hates women and keeps swiping left on Tinder. Sanju is a green card holder who doesn’t like going to America and is in a dilemma about whether he has to take his relationship with his stand-up comedian girlfriend forward or not. Meanwhile, the trio meets Rahul (played by Harsha Chemudu), a techie who’s fired from his software company for allegedly sexually harassing a co-worker. How these men deal with their problems forms the rest of the story.
Performances:
Naresh Agastya is the star of the show. He once again proved his mettle as an actor. He, who has a disturbed professional life, displayed his emotions pretty well, deserving all the applause.
Mourya, on the other hand, is a refreshment. While things are pretty heated, it is he who evokes some comedy and eases your nerves. He is silly and witty, and his performance was a breather in this movie.
Kaushik, too, delivers an impressive performance.
Harsha has less screen space, but in whatever part he was seen, he did a good job.
Brahmaji is seen in a routine character that we have seen him play, and there is nothing new. In whatever role he was given, he was fine.
Speaking of the female actresses in the film, they were just there to show pseudo-feminism. They have little to no depth to their characters.
Plus:
Naresh and Mourya's performances
Good story.
Minus:
Deviating from the core concept of the film
Poor direction.
Poor music and screenplay.
Analysis:
The issues that men confront are the main focus of filmmaker Srikanth G. Reddy's argument that society ignores males. neither the office nor the house.
In this entertaining, message-driven movie, we also get to see instances of pseudo-feminism and how it impacts the males in their lives.
Brahmaji, who also experiences a difficult marriage, owns and operates the Stags Only pub, where the four of them first meet.
Even though all these men talk about the troubles women face, which is acceptable, the setting and overall premise of the movie make it impossible for the audience to empathise with the problems these men encounter.
This movie promotes the notion that men are suffering as a result of a small group of "pseudo feminists." The story is unique and barely touches the surface. The movie has a magnificent concept but no compelling story. The scenes are not matched by the music, which was composed by Elisa Praveen G. and Osho Venkat. Only one song is catchy; the others are all monotonous.
With the exception of a few scene shots, the cinematography is very boring.
Speaking of editing, it is missing that part. A story that had the potential to be engrossing viewing but was given superficial treatment and marred by poor narrative and execution. The movie lacks conviction and direction.
Vox verdict:
#Mentoo has a story that has great meaning and a lot of scope to excel in its genre; however, the lacklustre filmmaking, poor narration, and the director's deviating from the core concept of the film make #Mentoo tedious to watch.
Rating: 2.25/5
