Andhra Mess Review: A tasteful meal but less spicy than it could have been!

Debutant director Jai’s Andhra Mess has been in the making for quite a long while. Jai himself has said that it is easier to make a film, but it is harder to release it.

Well, finally the movie has hit the screens, that too alongside Tik Tik Tik!

Nevertheless, I must say that Andhra Mess has its own audience for its “kind”.

Now, when we saw the trailer, we got an impression about the movie.

And we are reminded of Aaranya Gaandam, Settai (a few scenes), Jil Jung Juk, and Soodhu Kavvum.

Basically it is a dark comedy. But more than that the movie delivers many philosophical things that only some will understand and enjoy.

The story is about how money and women act as driving factors in the lives of the lead characters.

We have a gangster Devaraj (Vinod) who gets an assignment to steal a bag.

He outsources this assignment to the youngster gang Varadhu (AP Shreethar), Rathna (Raj Bharath), Ritchie (Madhivanan Rajendran) and Sethu (Balaji).

Varadhu doesn’t have a successful love life because his girlfriend is not happy with him being financially unstable. She makes disrespectful comments so the two split up.

Varadhu takes on the assignment from Deva, but once they find the bag, the youngster gang change their mind. And what follows

They take refuge in the house of a Jameendhar Janardhanan (Amarendran). He has a young wife Bala (Tejaswini).

There begins a lust story between Bala and Rathna.

Tejaswini is a perfect choice for Bala’s character – she delivers emotions via facial expressions, eyes (a big plus!) and body language.

Her characterization is also stronger compared to that of the others.

Pooja Devariya as Arasi gets a short role and she performs sweet. But there is not much scope for her character to fit into the movie.

Now, Devaraj is after Varadhu and co., so how long are they going to stay under Janardhanan’s roof?

And how these people’s lives are changing course due to the driving factors like money and women makes the story.

The pace is a little slower than it could have been and this might put off a few.

Nevertheless, the narration is so detailed and feels mature and deep. Kudos to Jai for that.

The characters in the movie are many, and each of them don’t really get a strong establishment.

But I see this as a pro as the story takes the lead and we are to follow the characters through the flow of screenplay.

If we are presented with intros for each of them, it could have been an overkill.

I must talk about the art work in the movie as it is so detailed. Especially Jameen’s house – both the exterior and interior are so well designed and developed.

The lighting and camera angles are so refreshing and pleasant in many scenes.

Overall, Andhra Mess is a delightful watch for a dark comedy. There are resemblances to a few movies of this genre, but Andhra Mess definitely differs from them in the way it is delivered.

You get to enjoy so many details in terms of values, philosophies, and even presentation. You can learn a lot of life lessons.

Andhra Mess is a slow movie for sure, but it gets into its own comfortable pace. If you focus and enjoy the details delivered, the pace won’t bother you.

It could have been a little bit spicier to make a satisfying watch (a full meal).