With Mangalavara Rajaadina (for barbers/ hairdressers, Tuesday is considered a holiday for ages), writer and director Yuvin drives the story through light-hearted, conversational episodes that portray the lifestyle of the aspirational and struggling life of the middle-class. Weaving his tale around a barber/hairdresser and his son, Yuvin consciously envelops it with simplicity, well-knit with humour.
Madheva (Gopalkrishnan Deshpande), a barber, is a strict disciplinarian, who cuts short his son Kumara’s (Chandan Achar) education after 6th standard and pushes him to follow his footsteps of taking forward the salon business. Kumara, a big fan of Sudeep, has one wish -- to style the star’s hair.
His attempt to fulfill his fanboy moment is one part of this comedy family drama, mainly highlighting the father and son relationship, and the hurdles the family faces when they plan to expand the business. It also craftily brings in those friends, who are there through thick and thin -- all this more or less realistically connects to the common man’s life. The film manages to capture the essence of a local salon’s activities, and beautifully translates them into a reflection of the lives of ordinary people. Exploring a relatable theme, Yuvin engages the audience with some fun dialogues and double entendres in the first half, especially involving Sheetal (Lasya Nagaraj) who befriends Kumara, Martin Luther (Jahangir) who promises to get him to meet Sudeep, and Kumara’s childhood friend Abhi (Rajinikanth).
The director has brought the feeling of this youth idolizing his star since childhood in a neat way through Kumara’s character.
However, the way he goes about connecting with the celebrity may not hold that steam till end, especially in the second half because the whole fanboy moment and the thrill of meeting the star gets diluted with family issues and becomes just another normal story, but the director gives a hint of a sequel keeping an open end.
Yuvin has chosen the right actors to play various characters. Chandan Achar, who was previously seen playing character roles in Kirik Party and Avane Srimannaryana, plays a full-fledged hero’s role, and he has put his best foot forward. Chandan gives a natural performance, while Gopal Krishnan Devaiah rightly portrays the middle-class life. The rest of the actors find the rightplacements.
A theme-based music and background score by Prajoth D’Sa and Ritvik Muralidhar, the catchy title track penned by Yogaraj Bhat help to showcase the different of a hair dresser’s life. In short, Mangalavara Rajaadina, gives a vivid picture of a middle-class family, and a commoner’s dreams, whole also catering to all sections of the audience.
Director: Yuvin
Producer : Team Trivarga
Cast: Chandan Achar, Gopalkrishnan Deshpande, Lasya Nagaraj, Jahangir, and Rajinikanth
