Rating: 2.5/5
Banner: Abhishek Pictures
Cast: Ravi Teja, Sushant, Jayaram, Megha Akash, Daksha Nagarkar, Anu Emmanuel, Rao Ramesh, Sampath, Hyper Aadi, Murali Sharma, Faria Abdullah, Sriram and others
Music: Harshavardhan Rameshwar, Bheems
Cinematographer: Vijay Kartik Kannan
Editor: Navin Nooli
Director: Sudheer Varma
Producers: Abhishek Nama, Ravi Teja
Release date: April 7, 2023
Mass Maharaja Ravi Teja is riding high with the success of ‘Dhamaka’ and this time he has chosen a different subject. Whether he was successful in entertaining or not, let us see.
Story
Ravindra (Ravi Teja) is a struggling lawyer who works under Kanaka Mahalakshmi (Faria) and he keeps goofing up in several cases. A high profile murder case involving Sampath Talwar (Sampath) is brought by his daughter Harika (Megha) and Ravindra forces Mahalakshmi to take it up. Meanwhile, top cop ACP Hanumantha Rao (Jayaram) is assigned to deal with this case. On a parallel note, a series of murders keep happening and one prosthetic makeup professional called Saket (Sushant) becomes a common link. Who is Saket? What happens to Talwar’s case? All this forms the rest of the story.
Performances
Ravi Teja gave a different impact this time. Unlike his usual mass and highly energetic mannerisms, this had few traces of humor but most of it was rather serious and strategic. Age is showing on him despite his best effort but it has not hampered his prowess in dance. Sushant carried out his role decently. Jayaram was good. Megha was moderate. Faria Abdullah was fair enough, Anu Emmanuel was adequate. Rao Ramesh was brief. Sampath didn’t have much to offer. Hyper Aadi brought few smiles. Daksha Nagarkar was neat. Pujita got a meaty screen time and she did justice to it. The others were there to fill the gap.
Crew
The story was interesting but the script and treatment should have been more effective since the genre is crime thriller. Dialogues at few places were good. The screenplay lacked the fizz. The background score was quite good and two songs were hummable. Cinematography was upto the mark. Editing could have been sharper. Costumes and art department did their bit as required. Production values were rich.
Hits
First half
Background score
Storyline
Misses
Second half
Pace
Humor
Treatment
Uninvolved performances
Deeper Look
Any film which deals with crime and thriller elements requires a gritty screenplay and performances that are intense and committed. Here, the plotline and the story were written well on paper but there seems to be a gap when it comes to conceiving it on the celluloid. The film lacked the goosebump experience as the director seems to have attempted to mix a bit of mass elements along with a twisted plot. The film takes off decently and it sets the mood after fifteen minutes. The interval bang was also timely and kept things engaging. However, the second half didn’t have the same momentum while connecting the dots and the climax sequences lacked the punch and thrust which takes the viewer experience to the peaks. Most of the film was dominated by Ravi Teja but watching him in a somewhat sober style is not that appealing. That said, the film has enough stuff to not call it a boring product. It does have its highlight moments and manages to catch attention at few places. Overall, the film might appeal to select audience and it had the potential to be shaped in a much better way. At the box office, it might become an average to above average grosser.
Vox Verdict
Just Ok Thriller
