Sakshi Rating:

'Men Too' was released in theatres today. As the title suggests, the film is a blow to the narrative that men are the oppressors in the male-dominated world. Does the film live up to its title? What can we expect from it? Is it fun to watch? Let's find out.

Plot:

Aditya (Naresh Agastya), Sanju (Kaushik Ghantasala), and Munna (Mourya Siddavaram) frequent a pub meant only for stags. They bump into Rahul (Harsha Chemudu), an IT employee who has been falsely framed by a female colleague in a sexual harassment case. Rahul's destiny triggers a change in the lives of the three friends, each of whom has had their own issues because of women. The pub's owner (Brahmaji) becomes their new friend.

Performances:

Naresh Agastya's performance in the climax is effective. He delivers a monologue to men and, thanks to his natural acting, it doesn't feel like a sermon. The other two friends get good characterizations. The film could have avoided generic writing to better elevate them. Harsha Chemudu plays an out-and-out serious role. Since his character's journey was integral to the ideological grounding of the film, he had to be very good. And he is very good indeed. Brahmaji is fun to watch.

Nellore Sudharshan is seen as a bartender. Riya Suman is good in the role of a broad-minded woman. Priyanka Sharma is seen in a semi-romantic role.

Plus:

The performances.

Taking the side of men in genuine cases.

The emotional climax.

The male buddy comedy scenes.

Minus:

Some cliched scenes.

Lack of voice for women.

Analysis:

'Men Too' is the sort of film that borrows liberally from some known streams of thought against pseudo-feminism. A character emotionally says that most suicides are committed by men. This shows that men suffer for real, in fact, more than women. But it doesn't mean that men don't get to dominate women. Both are different things.

If you ignore the ideology the film is trying to propagate, there is lots of fun to be had. Workplace comedy is not routine. The boy bestie trope has been deployed.

The pub scenes come with lots of dialogue. Instead of mouthing so many lines, the characters could have conveyed through expressions. Probably, the director is in love with mainstream treatment, which explains the conventional approach. 'Men Too' works despite adhering to time-tested grammar.

Verdict:

'Men Too' is for women too. Watch it with an open mind!

Rating:

Sakshi Rating:

(2.5/5)