Mathu Vadalara 2 review: Comedy hits bullseye but mystery misses the mark

Ritesh Rana has returned with a sequel to the quirky comedy, Mathu Vadalara (2019). It’s safe to say that Ritesh Rana and team have revived the meta comedy genre with relatable meme humour and endless pop culture references. The first film was also a sharply written murder mystery. With the sequel, many writing choices and comedic gags work brilliantly.

Following the original film, Sri Simha and Satya are now special agents of the HE Team (High Emergency Investigative Team). The clumsy agents devise a foolproof plan to save money during kidnappings and their modus operandi works flawlessly, until they are caught in a bogus kidnapping and, guess what, another unexpected murder. How do the duo, along with senior agent Nidhi (Faria Abdullah), get out of the problem while solving the mystery? 

Director: Ritesh Rana

Cast: Satya, Sri Simha, Faria Abdullah, Vennela Kishore, Rohini, Sunil, Ajay and more

Undoubtedly, the comedy shines, but when the film changes gear to a mystery, the effectiveness fizzle out as the writing lets it down. The makers set up the premise of the special agency with both the characters kicking off as buddy cops. Infact, the first half of the film is flawless, with the shocks and twists dropping brilliantly until the blast-of-an-intermission. The writing choices of using pop culture to connect Ajay’s character as the perverted villain is exceptional. 

However, the film suffers when the film unravels its world in the second half. None of the reveals are interesting and it doesn’t tie up the mystery in a compelling way. The red herrings are evident and after a while, the twists feel like they are placed for the sake of it. The concoction needed some more time to cook the whodunnit to perfection. Leaving aside these flaws, the creators have made a snappy and an almost-perfect film, akin to the first installment. 

Of course, Satya is the most exciting aspect of the film. His mannerisms, language, and bombastic reactions are pure gold. He elicits such strong reactions from the crowd that it reminds you how much you miss actors like Brahmanandam, whose sheer presence could electrify the entire theater. Satya is a great comedic performer who can exude the necessary comic brilliance even with the most flimsy writing choices. Wordplay humour is difficult to sell, but Satya does it effortlessly. Also, watch out for the part where Vennela Kishore, as Youth Star Yuva, makes fun of toxic fandoms. Sri Simha delivers the much-needed mumbling hero archetype and the pulpy TV serial part "Ori Na Kodaka" is entertaining. However, actor Faria Abdullah's potential is not utilised fully, and at best, she feels like another extra in the scene. 

Another extremely commendable part of the film is that there are no unnecessary songs that derail the momentum of the screenplay. When it comes to new-age films, Kaala Bhairava seems to understand the assignment. The cinema hall was eagerly anticipating the distinctive 'Oooh' sound effect. And it plays at the perfect time. Kaala Bhairava contributes significantly to the film's madness. 

The murder mystery is the weakest aspect of the film. The revelations are neither shocking, nor does it provide a deeper sense of purpose. However, the actors' comedic quality more than makes up for the lack of clever crime writing. The film delivers well when you enter theatres expecting nothing but pure enjoyment with its new-age narration, meme humour, and pop culture references.