MAD Square is a 2025 comedy film written and directed by Kalyan Shankar. The film has Narne Nithin, Sangeeth Shobhan & Ram Nithin playing the lead roles while Sunil, Priyanka Jawalkar, Vishnu Oi, Muralidhar Goud, Satyam Rajesh, Subhalekha Sudhakar, Anudeep KV, Raghu Babu, Reba Monica John, Ravi Anthony, Karthikeya Samala & others are seen in important supporting roles. The music is composed by Bheems Ceciroleo while the film is produced by Naga Vamsi, Harika Suryadevara & Sai Soujanya under Sithara Entertainments banners.
Story:
All 3 friends- Manoj (Ram Nithin), Ashok (Narne Nithiin), and Damodhar (Sangeeth Sobhan) get into different professions after their engineering college and finally end up coming to Laddu’s (Vishnu Oi) marriage, which ends up being a disaster as the bride elopes on the wedding day. After this event, the trio, along with Laddu, decide to go to Goa for their honeymoon trip, where they get into trouble after being accused of robbery. The story revolves around their attempts to prove their innocence and overcome the obstacles they face in Goa.
What about on-screen performances?
The 3 lead actors- Narne Nithin, Sangeeth Shobhan & Ram Nithin sustain the energy of the film throgh their excellent performances. Their chemistry works well in this film too and this time all the 3 have equal share in the comedy portions.
Apart from these 3, it is Vishnu Oi that stands out in the film with his terrific comedy timing. He shines in his role as Laddu, and all the scenes where he gets frustrated work well in the theatres.
Priyanka Jawalkar does a pretty ordinary job in her role, and her dance moves in her song are weak.
Reba Monice John kills it with her dance in her special song in the second half.
Anudeep KV & Ravi Anthony make a rocking entry in the second half and are decent in their cameos.
Sunil, Muralidhar Goud, Satyam Rajesh, Subhalekha Sudhakar, Karthikeya Samala & others are fine in their limited portions.
What about off-screen talents?
The story and screenplay by Kalyan Shankar are weak. As said in the promotions, there is no proper plot or story in this film as it mostly runs on mindless comedy and a few funny one-liners that work only in limited places.
The biggest drawback of the film is the uneven comedy, which mostly falls flat in most of the scenes. The first installment of the franchise was appreciated and celebrated coz of the organic comedy and relatable characterizations, but here these points take a beating. The comedy in this sequel looks more forced into the plot rather than coming from a free-flowing space. Especially characters like DD and Laddu, which were loved in the first part, do not make the same impact here as they don’t resonate with the audience.
The characters are set up neatly at the start, but the whole marriage episode in the first half doesn’t live up to expectations as it is limited to only occasional laughs here and there. The interval portions are decent as the plot shifts to Goa. But again, the second half misses the mark with the crime angle coming in and lacks the energy that was needed. The entire track of Sunil & Satyam Rajesh does not work, while the cameos by Anudeep KV and Anthony work to an extent.
Director Kalyan Shankar does a neat job with his presentation but his writing doesn’t match the standards he set with the first part. He tried to come up with a ‘Jathi Ratnalu’ kind of mindless comedy, but the characters he created in ‘MAD’ didn’t feel like they could be used in the same space of a mindless comedy. He should have thought of a better plot line to take the characters and the franchise forward.
The songs by Bheems Ceciroleo are good with his trademark Telangana style of tracks. Swathi Reddy & Laddu Gaani Pelli songs are alrready super hits and they are shot well on screen too. But the song involving Priyanka Jawalkar felt unwanted and the dances too felt underwhelming. The background score by Bheems Ceciroleo and Thaman is decent.
The camerawork by Shamdat is first-rate rate while the edit by Navin Nooli felt abrupt at a few places.
The production values by Sithara Entertainments are grand.
What’s Hot?
* All Lead Actors Performances
* A Couple Of Good Funny Scenes
* Few Silly One Liners
* Swathi Reddy & Laddu Gaani Pelli Songs
* Good Background Score
* Cinematography & Production Values
What’s Not?
* Thin Plotline & Weak Screenplay
* Forced Songs At Places
* Uneven & Flat Comedy in Few Scenes
* Sunil & Satyam Rajesh’s Track Doesn’t Work As Expected
Verdict: Overall, MAD Square is a forced sequel that never lives up to the standards set by the first part in terms of comedy, but works to an extent due to the successful franchise factor, the lead cast’s performances, and a few Silly jokes. Can give it a try if you like comedies that do not make any sense!!
Telugubulletin.com Rating: 2.5/5