'Love Mocktail 2' review: The magic is still intact

Love Mocktail

Kannada (Theatres)

Director: Darling Krishna

Cast: Darling Krishna, Milana Nagaraj, Rachel David, Amrutha Iyengar

Rating: 3/5

'One-man show' is an often-used term in movie reviews. Milana Nagaraj's impressive show as Nidhi again in 'Love Mocktail 2' shows the power of interesting roles for female actors. Nidhi is one of the most likeable characters in Kannada films in recent times.

She is the soul of the franchise and director-protagonist Darling Krishna is smart enough to retain her, albeit with creative liberty that's acceptable. Krishna also sticks to the strengths of the much-loved 2020 romantic drama: eye-catchy locales, soothing music, and a romantic drama that grows on you.

So after losing his wife Nidhi to cancer, Aadi suffers from depression. His friends Vijay (Abhilash) and Sushma (Kushi Achar) offer him support as Aadi takes help from a psychiatrist. The duo gives Aadi a letter written by Nidhi. It makes him comfortable with the idea of second marriage.

As Aadi begins to meet his potential matches, the story reintroduces the characters of the first part. This includes Aadi's ex-girlfriend Jo (Amrutha Iyengar in a small, insignificant role). The script blows hot and cold in the first half. While a couple of jokes work well, the humour is mostly crude as the film moves aimlessly for a while.

'Love Mocktail 2' finds its rhythm with the re-entry of Nidhi. Milana Nagaraj's effort is a fine mix of understanding the character and bringing new layers to it. Krishna shows he can dig deep in writing if he wants to. The film has sensible arguments on troubled marriages, divorce, and homemakers.

Aadi is caught between moving on from Nidhi and trying to make his relationship work with Sihi (Rachel David in a promising performance). The humour finds purpose and the drama gets engaging and even delightfully mature. Krishna's lazy elegance and brooding expressions along with Nakul Abhayankar's music complement the film's poignant mood. The ending might catch you off-guard like it did in the first part.

It's good the franchise exists as Sandalwood needs more relationship dramas. Even better if they are complex.