'Mechanic Rocky' Review: Vishwak Sen and Shraddha Srinath Pull Off A Goofy Con

Director: Ravi Teja Mullapudi
Writer: Ravi Teja Mullapudi
Cast: Vishwak Sen, Shraddha Srinath, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Raghu Ram, Harshavardhan, Harsha Chemudu, Naresh, Sunil
Language: Telugu

Ravi Teja Mullapudi’s Mechanic Rocky could best be described as a coming-of-age comedy wrapped deceptively in a con movie. It follows bumbling protagonist Rocky aka Rakesh Nagumomu (Vishwak Sen), whose happy-go-lucky existence has seen him, more often than not, overcome life’s curveballs with spunk. But when he abruptly hits a dead end, he is forced to manage his father’s (Naresh) precious RK Garage, becoming a reluctant mechanic and driving instructor.

To aid his coming of age, Mechanic Rocky has a barrage of narrative leads that could each potentially be the crux of the story. Rocky’s college romance with Priya (Meenakshi Chaudhary) ended on a bitter note, so when she reenters his life many years later as his customer, the film could possibly take the shape of a romantic comedy. Simultaneously, another customer, Maya (Shraddha Srinath), develops a soft spot for him after getting a rundown of all his past hijinks; there’s now the possibility of a love triangle. Adding to this is a clash with the deadly land broker Ranki Reddy (Sunil), who is eyeing Rocky’s garage space for a major deal — could this film be a love story seeped in action and violence? Just when we are about to form theories, Mechanic Rocky introduces an insurance payout angle to the story. There is now more than meets the eye.

Writer-director Ravi Teja Mullapudi’s task is to then tie up the many loose threads. The film starts on a rather bleak note, involving a seemingly middle-class family and a suicide, before quickly assuming the bumbling tone of buddy-comedy routines (featuring Sen and ‘Viva’ Harsha Chemudu), over-the-top flashbacks and action sequences. In hindsight, not all of these different scenes — like the one involving Rocky's father and a swindler — end up contributing to the film’s intended impact, but Mullapudi is self-aware in how he uses them. Mechanic Rocky feels too convenient and contrived for its own good, but the buoyant screenplay ensures that its shortcomings are taken in good spirit.

One of the brighter aspects of the film is how Priya’s arc fits into the larger scheme of things. At first glance, her miserliness is a character trait meant for comic effect, but the writing soon starts to unpeel the layers of her personality and her past with a deft hand, revealing a strong emotional core that puts the entire story into perspective. Telugu cinema, just like any other mainstream realm, isn’t best known for offering its female leads meaty roles, but both Meenakshi Chaudhary and Shraddha Srinath get to essay characters boasting substance and screen presence. Srinath, in particular, seems to have had tremendous fun playing a part that’s chirpy, bratty and mysterious all at once. She finds herself in the company of actors like Harshavardhan and ‘Roadies’ Raghu Ram, who hold their own on a stage largely designed for Vishwak Sen to shine. Sen, currently one of the most sought-after new-gen stars around, justifies the pedestal the film places him on with a perky performance.

Still, Mechanic Rocky suffers from a bloated narrative that strains towards the end. No movie about con artists is fun when it starts to spend more time elaborating on the trick it’s just pulled off, instead of allowing the audience to voluntarily retrace its steps. Since the film makes a misstep in giving away its most important twist a little too early, it is forced to dilly-dally with more explanatory scenes that only stretch the runtime. Everything is too on the nose and all the onus is on the leading man to crack the game with little fuss or obstruction. Consequently, having run out of ideas, the much-important payoff feels rushed, clumsy and silly, with all logic and nuance foregone.

Mechanic Rocky isn't a game-changer for the comedy-crime genre, but the good thing is that it doesn't wish to be one either. It's a good ol' entertainer that gets more right than wrong and has all the ingredients needed to keep us hooked nearly till the end.