‘Mr. & Ms. Rowdy’ hardly makes a way beyond the surface and wastes away an accomplished cast in a storyline that does not astound. Unsurprising for most of the part, it is a movie with not much of a consequence; a movie that would also make not much of a difference.
Post 2015, every time a Jeethu Joseph film is released, comparisons are bound to arise as to how admirably it will fare, when pitched against ‘Drishyam’. ‘Mr. & Ms. Rowdy’ holds no such obligation however, since it states quite early on that any such association or anticipation would be way off the mark.
The film zooms in on Appu (Kalidas Jayaram) and his gang of friends (Ganapathy, Shebin Benson, Vishnu Govindan and Sarath Sabha) who make do with accepting a few local assignments where they get to display a strong arm and earn some quick money in the process through threat and physical aggression.
Their clout does not however work well with Poornima (Aparna Balamurali) who lands up at Appu’s doorstep in no time. It takes a while before all the abhorrence gives way to adoration, and ‘Mr. & Ms. Rowdy’ strikes you as a throwback to one of those many films that we have watched a couple of decades back, where love eventually blooms in the swamps of hate.
Phew. The eloquent description apart, there is however little that is abiding about ‘Mr. & Ms. Rowdy’ and as unfair as the evaluation mentioned at the beginning of this write up might seem, one cannot help but lament on how visibly short the writing has gone down. With very little that would make you have a go at your knuckles with excitement, ‘Mr. & Ms. Rowdy’ is passable fare at best.
The character study that it has on offer is quite shallow and while there are back stories that strive hard to lend them depth, they hardly serve the purpose. Which is why almost all the characters in the film come across as vague sketches, with none of the real flesh and bones that would have lent them the life that they truly merit.
However, it has to be granted, that there are instances that offer some easy, harmless laughter throughout. This hilarity is of the disposable kind – the kind that is as easily forgotten as it is generated – and by the time you are back home, you realize that there is very little of ‘Mr. & Ms. Rowdy’ that you have carried back with you.
Kalidas does a fine job playing a ruffian – as improbable as it might have sounded – but it goes without saying that it is Aparna Balamaurali who is the scene stealer in the film. She is remarkably good as the gutsy girl, and is hardly loud, even in scenes that had the potential danger of going berserk with overkill.
The rest of the boy gang is played brilliantly by the actors – Ganapathy, Shebin Benson, Vishnu Govindan and Sarath Sabha – despite their respective roles having to put up with a lot of underwriting. There is nothing magnificent about Arun Vijay’s musical score, while Satheesh Kurup’s frames are notable.
‘Mr. & Ms. Rowdy’ hardly makes a way beyond the surface and wastes away an accomplished cast in a storyline that does not astound. Unsurprising for most of the part, it is a movie with not much of a consequence; a movie that would also make not much of a difference.
Verdict: Average