Story:
The film revolves around Lekha (Swathi Reddy), who decides to separate from her husband, Madhusudhan Rao (Naveen Chandra), after two decades of marriage. At the same time, an NRI teenager named Madhumitha (Shreya Navile) arrives in Vizag for a family wedding and becomes entangled in Madhusudhan’s life. The film explores whether Madhumitha can mend their relationship or push it further to the brink. It also delves into the reasons behind Lekha’s desire to separate from Madhu.
Performances and Technical aspects
Naveen Chandra portrayed the role of an authentic alcoholic with utmost sincerity. His facial expressions and typical demeanor added depth to the film, making his portrayal of an angry man truly convincing. Swathi Reddy delivered a fresh and commendable performance in her purposeful role, despite a brief absence from the camera. She flawlessly handled her character’s two dimensions. Other actors like Viva Harsha, Manjula Ghattamaneni, and Shreya Navile also performed well in their respective roles. Notably, the interactions between Naveen Chandra and Viva Harsha provided enjoyable moments with their unique conversations.
Achu Rajamani’s music in the film is soothing and adds to the overall experience. Both the songs and the background score are well-suited to the situations and leave a positive impression. Cinematographer Rajeev Dharavat’s work brings vibrant and realistic visuals to the screen with his thoughtful framing. Ravikanth Perepu’s editing could have been far better.Rajeev Dharavat’s cinematography adds vibrant colors to the entire movie, and his framing creates a realistic texture on the screen.
Plus points:
Exceptional performances
Meaningful moments that depict Lekha’s personal growth beautifully.
Minus points:
Stretched story line
Lengthy runtime
Presentation lacks depth
Analysis
Month of Madhu explores the journey of love, its decay, and the difficult decision to let go.
The film beautifully captures some significant moments. It portrays how Lekha, who once loved Madhusudhan despite his flaws, now desires to distance herself from him. We witness her personal growth through various experiences, depicted in countless little moments. In one early scene, during Lekha’s abortion procedure with a distressed Madhu, she’s hungry but advised not to eat until it’s completed. However, she has already packed Pulihora (tamarind rice) from home and innocently offers it to Madhu. This simple gesture exemplifies the way love is expressed in the film—through small, everyday actions, devoid of drama.
Swathi Reddy, Naveen Chandra, and Shreya Navile deliver strong performances, but the film suffers from a thin storyline, weak writing, and pacing issues. The film’s main drawback is its thin storyline, which is stretched over a lengthy runtime of 2 hours and 20 minutes. This extended duration, coupled with weak writing and an irregular screenplay, hampers the impact of the lead actors’ performances.
While a gradual build-up is acceptable in the early stages, the film’s persistently slow pace in the second half becomes a significant hindrance, as evident in “Month of Madhu.”
Verdict:
Month of Madhu offers a feel-good, emotional story but with dull cinematic experience. Despite strong performances and a promising story, it suffers from a sluggish screenplay, underdeveloped storytelling, and unnecessary scenes.
Rating: 2.25/5
