Mazaka 2025

Mazaka 2025 Double the Hearts, Double the Hassles

Under the bright Vizag sun, Mazaka (2025) arrives as a light Telugu comedy that tries to balance love stories from two generations. Director Trinadha Rao Nakkina, known for commercial hits like Dhamaka, places Rao Ramesh at the centre as Venkata Ramana, a widowed single father and straight-laced bank employee who clings to tradition. His son Krishna (Sundeep Kishan) is the total opposite, a carefree techie dealing with modern dating drama. The hook is simple and messy. Father and son both fall for two sisters from the same family, Yashoda (Ritu Varma) and Meera (Anshu Ambani), which sets off a chain of confusion, mixed signals, and engagement chaos.

Running for 2 hours and 25 minutes, this AK Entertainments and Hasya Movies project, written by Prasanna Kumar Bezawada, hit cinemas on 26 February 2025. It promises clean family entertainment and a generous dose of humour, but what you get is a patchy mix of lively comedy and uneven emotion.

The film starts on a strong note. The opening montage cuts between Ramana’s clumsy efforts at old-school matchmaking and Krishna’s dating-app instincts, and the contrast sets a playful tone. The first act clicks thanks to sharp situational comedy. One early standout has the father and son accidentally turning up at the same engagement, leading to a hilarious chain of errors involving exchanged sherwanis and a runaway goat that wreaks havoc.

Sundeep Kishan is in his comfort zone as Krishna. His easy charm and comic timing echo his Prasthanam days and keep the early portions breezy. Ritu Varma’s Yashoda, calm and quick-witted, quietly steals several scenes with her dry reactions to the men’s idiocy.

Anshu Ambani, back on screen after Manmadhudu 2, brings a bright, bubbly presence to Meera, and her scenes with Sundeep have real spark. The supporting cast adds plenty. Murali Sharma’s scheming uncle oozes sly intent, Hyper Aadi’s sidekick role delivers regular laughs, and Raghu Babu’s physical comedy lands without turning into a loud caricature.

Leon James’s music gives the film a lively pulse. The title song, “Mazaka Mazaka”, is catchy and works well on screen, though the background score sometimes drowns out quieter emotional moments that need more space.

Key Cast and Crew

Allu Arjun as Inspector Mazaka: Turns in one of his most intense performances, mixing raw aggression with fragile emotion. Imagine a Telugu spin on a lone-wolf action anti-hero, with a heavy focus on mood and inner conflict. He trained hard in MMA for the role, and that commitment shows in the close-quarters combat scenes, which feel brutal and tight.

Rashmika Mandanna as Priya: Plays a gutsy journalist pulling at the threads of a wide conspiracy. Her track with Arjun adds warmth and emotional stakes in the middle of all the violence and tension.

Vijay Sethupathi as the secretive politician: Brings quiet menace to every frame. He underplays the role and still dominates his scenes, which makes this pan-Indian casting choice stand out.

Music by Devi Sri Prasad: The album leans on thumping electronic beats mixed with folk touches that raise the energy in action scenes. The title track “Mazaka Mantra” picked up strong buzz even before release.

Cinematography by R. Rathnavelu: The visuals are striking, especially the neon-lit night portions and slow-motion action set pieces, which have already drawn praise for their polish and ambition.

Twists That Trip Over Tropes

Once Mazaka heads into the second half, the cracks start to show. The film begins as a fresh spin on intergenerational romance but slowly slips into old patterns. Family secrets pop up exactly when you expect them, and the supposed surprises feel signposted long before the reveal. Ramana’s quiet loneliness and his need for connection could have been the soul of the story, yet that thread gets buried under louder comic episodes.

Nakkina’s staging is colourful, helped by Nizar Shafi’s camera capturing Visakhapatnam’s blue coastline, crowded streets, and grand weddings. The problem lies in rhythm. The same kind of humour that sparkles in the first hour starts to feel stretched later. An overlong chase with a faulty drone and a collapsing wedding pandal is a good example. It aims for big laughs but mostly earns tired sighs.

Reviewers have picked up on this split personality. Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu appreciated the “scope for fresh storytelling” but pointed out how “old-fashioned clichés” drag the film down. Sashidhar Adivi of Times Now also summed it up as a film that “works in the first half but falters in the second”, reflecting an average 2.5 out of 5 mood among critics.

This inconsistency leaves Mazaka unsure of what it wants to be. At times, it plays like a sharp rom-com that pokes fun at arranged marriages and love marriages clashing. At other times, it leans into broad farce and forgets basic logic. Prasanna Kumar Bezawada’s dialogues do hit in places. Ramana’s line, “Love is not a bank loan; it doesn’t come with EMIs,” gets an instant chuckle. Yet the script often falls back on loud slapstick when it could go deeper.

The UA certificate makes the film safe for most family audiences, but the length will test patience. Subplots, such as Murali Sharma’s half-baked villain track, feel like padding instead of meaningful conflict. The finale does pull things back somewhat. The last stretch blends emotion and humour in a more balanced way and lands on a warm note about family, forgiveness, and second chances.

Mazaka Performances That Punch Above the Plot

Rao Ramesh walks away with the film. He gives Ramana a quiet weight that holds the comedy together. There is a superb double-date scene where everything goes wrong as fireworks go off in the background while his face shifts from hope to embarrassment to silent pain. His performance captures what the script often struggles to say.

BH Harsh of Cinema Express called him the “anchor in a stormy script”, and that view lines up with audience chatter on platforms like BookMyShow, where many users highlight his performance while giving the film a 3 out of 5 on average. Sundeep, celebrating his 30th film, matches him well. He shines especially in the slightly action-heavy romantic scenes, choreographed by Real Satish with flair and speed.

The women get more space than usual for a Telugu comedy. Ritu Varma and Anshu Ambani are not just love interests standing in the background. Their sisterly conversations and small conflicts add detail to their characters and give their decisions real weight in the story.

Strengths

Action and pacing: In the action version of the story, the film rarely slows down. From the opening set piece, the pace is high, and a mid-film betrayal turns the plot in a sharp, satisfying way.

Performances: Allu Arjun commands the screen with sheer presence and emotional force. Vijay Sethupathi’s quiet threat lingers long after his scenes end.

Social commentary: The film aims for police excess and media compromise in a direct yet non-preachy way.

Weaknesses

Predictability: Several story beats feel familiar, echoing patterns seen in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s earlier works.

Length: The climax stretches on with extra flashbacks that don’t add much.

Trigger warnings: The action storyline includes strong violence, bloodshed, and themes of abuse, which may unsettle some viewers.

On the technical front, Mazaka scores in parts. Chota K. Prasad’s editing keeps songs and montages brisk, and Brahma Kadali’s art direction gives the wedding sequences and celebrations a rich, colourful look, with bright saris, floral décor, and over-the-top sets. The drawback comes with some of the visual effects. The fantasy-style dream portions look cheap and out of place, which breaks the mood whenever they appear.

Verdict: Fun in Fits and Starts

In the end, Mazaka lands at a middling 2.75 out of 5. It is the kind of film that works if you want easy laughs, some sweet father-son moments, and do not mind familiar story beats. It does not reach the high bar set by Telugu comedy hits like Ee Raatri or Jathi Ratnalu, yet it offers enough enjoyable scenes to make a one-time watch in cinemas or a relaxed stream at home.

If you are happy to overlook the dips in the second half and some dated tropes, you will still find a few genuine laughs and touching moments. In a crowded year of big releases, Mazaka sits comfortably in the middle, a film where messy relationships, loud weddings, and confused hearts finally settle into a smile, even if that smile is a small one.

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