Mango Pachcha movie story: Prashantha (Sanchith) aka Pachcha, and his younger brother Shyama (Jai) are roped in as foot soldiers for their late father’s weed farm, the spoils of which are split with their stepbrother Nagappa (Mayur Patel) and the old man’s silent business partner, Mahendra, the Mysuru Corporation mayor. A seasoned movie pirate with an established network, Prashantha slips into his new role easily, but his growing stature within the ranks does not sit well with Mahendra, who uses the love-hate relationship between the half-siblings to his advantage.
Mango Pachcha movie review: In the last few years, every time Kannada superstar Kichcha Sudeep made a public appearance, one of his constant companions, besides Chakravarthy Chandrachud, of course, has been Sanchith, the actor’s nephew. The shadowing extended to the professional sphere too, with the youngster picking up the nuances of filmmaking on the sets of his illustrious uncle’s films. When he was, eventually, ready to spread his wings and take off on his solo journey, with a film he would direct and act in, it didn’t quite fall into place, so Sudeep and his wife Priya, did the next best thing.
They co-produced a film that would serve as Sanchith’s acting debut. More importantly, it would be the vehicle to establish the identity he’d been bestowed with much before his launch – Jr Kichcha. Generally, when a star kid is introduced, the focus is on producing a showreel of the actor’s talents. In Sanchith’s case, it is more about how closely he resembles his uncle in everything he does and says, down to the smallest mannerisms. Genetics, no doubt, play a big part, but there was a concerted effort to ensure that the conversations about Mango Pachcha would revolve around audiences being enthralled at seeing “junior Boss” onscreen.
This is a concern I’d had after Sanchith’s rechristening, and the subsequent release of the teaser, and trailer. Would we get to see Sanchith onscreen and what he brings to the table? The young man has, after all, a pleasant demeanour and good screen presence. Mango Pachcha, though, is not that film. Despite my best efforts, I saw more Sudeep than Sanchith in the film, which is not a bad proposition, but does feel like disservice to the budding actor. This, of course, is my biggest grouse about the film.
As far as story-telling goes, Viveka’s script has something in it, but the end product feels rushed and disjointed. Pachcha’s family dynamics, especially his equation with his half brother Nagappa, Suji’s (Kaajal Kunder) connection to Pachcha’s father, among others, needed more meat. Pachcha’s societal standing, after going from one illegal business (piracy) to another (drug peddling), also needed deeper exploration to explain his ‘hold’ on the city.
Despite these shortcomings, I walked out of Mango Pachcha feeling that it is not only better than Yuva and Ekka (which is quite a low bar), but perhaps Mark too. Could it have been better? Of course, but it still manages to be fairly engaging and entertaining, aided immensely by Charanraj’s score. Although Ugramm Manju does not get much to do, it was refreshing to see him in a more subdued role. Mayur Patel, Kaajal and Jai (Vijay Raghavendra and Sriimurali’s nephew), did the needful for their roles, while Bhavana Ramana’s police commissioner was under-utilized.
Mango Pachcha movie verdict: Sanchith makes an impression in his debut film. It’s a promising start in a film that makes for a passable watch.
