F2: FUN AND FRUSTRATION

When it comes to humour, there’s not one kind of it that’ll tickle everyone’s funny bone. Some like it subtle, some slapstick, and then there are those who like it situational, while others prefer roasts. But, there’s also the category who love to laugh their sorrows away with cliché funny message forwards about how difficult marital life really is. That is the category Anil Ravipudi is presumably looking to tap into with this film, which is filled with dialogues that truly do sound like finely tuned forwards. 

Venky (Venkatesh) is an orphan looking for marriage proposals and is found suitable by Harika (Tamannaah) because she’s not looking to marry into a family. Varun (Varun Tej) is a carefree Telangana youth who is head-over-heels in love with Harika’s sister, the multi-talented Honey (Mehreen Pirzada) for a whole whopping month before her family decides to get them engaged and married soon after. However, it’s not soon before the Cobras (co-brother-in-laws) decide they’re better off without the women in their lives and decide to flee to another country. But what happens when the women decide to give them a taste of their own medicine?

The basic plot of the film has been done and dusted in Indian films so many times, there’s really nothing anyone can do to make it unique. The first half of the film seems like one long rant by frustrated men on how women always nag. The second half, which takes place in Europe, is one disjointed mess which brings in more characters, including Prakash Raj who plays the women’s family friend. Anil Ravipudi seemingly relies on the humour part of the film to pull it through so much; he seems to have decided to not invest in fleshing out any of the characters. The men are all innocent victims falling prey to the nagging women they’re married to, end of story. Logic of course goes for a toss, which is fine seeing as how the genre itself doesn’t call for much.

The good news however, is that Venkatesh is in full form here, mouthing even the most cliché one-liners with sincerity and panache; you can’t help but find yourself laughing along. He invests not just with his dialogue delivery but even the body language and expressions. Varun Tej on the other hand delivers an earnest performance, not just looking like a million bucks but holding his own in a film he could easily drown in. It is only his Telangana accent that’s a mild put off, seeing as how he’s unfortunately accompanied by Priyadarshi initially, who’s a pro at delivering even the simplest lines in Telangana with flair. Tamannaah and Mehreen, who don’t even get introduction titles like the former two do, make the best of what they’re offered. Mehreen is particular carries her character through even though it’s so easy to make her seem caricature-ish. The sad part though is despite the ample screen-time they’re given, focus seems to be on sporadically showing off their ‘glamour’ by donning them in flimsy sarees, lingerie or even bikinis. Prakash Raj, Vennela Kishore, Jhansi, Rajendra Prasad and co nail their roles, if only they had a better story to bank on. 

However, give this one a chance this weekend if you’re looking for something that you can leave your brains at home for and enjoy irrespective of the tired old template. More so, give it a go for Venkatesh, who saves this film from sinking into oblivion. But give it a cold hard miss if outdated humour and gender tropes are not your cup of tea.