Magudam (2026), a tiring disappointment

Magudam (2026), starring Vishal, who also directed the film, is a movie best missed. Every scene is familiar from a mile away, and the film keeps dragging for over three hours for no reason. I wish I could compliment a hardworking actor like Vishal, but the screenplay offers him no scope. Mangoidiots gives the film a Rotten rating.

The story is about Vishal in a double role. One is a middle-class medical representative with a loving wife and two children, struggling to make ends meet. The other is an older man, played by Vishal again, a feared gangster who has been running the Vizag Harbour for decades. When the gangster’s enemies plot to kill him, the medical representative is affected as well. This is the story. Unfortunately, such a simple plot gets narrated in the most convoluted way.

None of the characters, including the two roles Vishal plays, are sketched with conviction. They are weak, and the circumstances that create them are also tiring and stale. Because of this, even scenes like the medical representative spending time with his family feel boring. The comedy track involving the family going from one car showroom to another tested my patience.

One of the most emotional scenes in the movie comes when the older Vishal loses his wife. He cries out loud, but sadly, the way the scene is handled fails to connect with us. In contrast, a similar situation involving the medical representative Vishal‘s character is quickly brushed aside. That was a moment when I was shocked and was ready for some heavy emotion, but the film moves on without giving it the weight it deserves.

In Vishal‘s Mark Antony (2023), where he appears as an older character, it was a delight to watch him. Here, it doesn’t work. Even the backstory of the gangster Vishal is unoriginal, to say it mildly. There is not even one scene that surprises us. Anjali tries her best, but her character never gets off the ground enough to make an impact.

John Vijay and Jayaprakash are the only saving grace in the film. They have done their job well. Dushara Vijayan and Thambi Ramaiah have been given forgettable characters.