Madhuvidhu

Story: After several attempts at finding a bride, romance blooms for Amrit Raj, who comes from a family with three partner-less senior men. Everyone is thrilled to finally welcome home a woman, but will Amrit manage to bring home his love?

Sharafudeen’s Madhuvidhu is a romantic comedy cum family drama, and starts with an old-fashioned narrative style. It is almost Hrishikesh Mukherjee-like, with the gentle drama and dynamics of relationships, all done with a touch of humour. It takes a bit of getting used to, but just when you begin appreciating it, the story makes a downward slide.

Sharaf plays Amrit Raj, who hails from a house peopled by men of various ages and all presently unmarried. It’s giving Meleparambil Aanveedu vibes, but sadly, without that level of innocent hilarity.

So, Amrit is the eligible bachelor that his father and uncles are currently trying to find a match for and, unexpectedly, romance blossoms after a chance meeting with Sneha Markose, played by Kalyani Panicker. And just when everyone heaves a sigh of relief thinking all the hurdles in Amrit’s attempt to get married are finally clearing, huge family drama - one after another - dashes his hopes, till he has to try and work a way out.

The acting is all largely above par. Sharafudeen is loveable, as a young man, juggling romance with family. Jagadish demonstrates the veteran’s easy skills in his interesting role as Amrit’s father and Azeez Nedumangad brings an adorable balance of playfulness and maturity in his role as Amrit’s uncle. Kalyani has good screen presence and has a good chemistry with Sharaf.

While feeling a bit low on energy in the first half, that isn’t such a problem. When the romance develops between the lead pair, and then, the drama unfolds, the pace picks up.

And while the main story is a predictable romance, there are some important messages, about the older generation needing to take a step back and allowing the youth to make the decisions on their own lives. Director Vishnu Aravind manages the screenplay by Bibin Mohan and Jai Vishnu well.

But in the second half, the film descends into a typical drama, with avoidable developments - a pregnancy (that seems biologically tricky!) and a slap, among other things - that work against the story. In fact, with the way the love stories are developed, the film feels like an anti-romance, with a bunch of men and women, who have a happy routine in their lives, finding themselves emotionally unsettled when they partner up.

Madhuvidhu could have felt like a fresh romance, at a time when it's all thrillers and dark stories, but it gets bogged down with too much unnecessary drama.