Aha has been releasing multiple Telugu films and web series’ of late and the latest addition to the list is Anaganaga O Athidhi, starring Payal Rajput in the lead role. Here is our review of the rustic drama.
Story:
Mallika(Payal Rajput) lives in a standalone hut along with her parents. The small family is in deep financial crisis and is in great need of money. One day, Sreenu(Chaitanya Krishna) a journalist halts at Mallika’s house. While Sreenu is asleep, Mallika’s family notice that he has some money with him and they plan to kill him and loot the money so as to come out of the financial troubles. What happens later forms the core plot of the film.
What about on-screen performances?
Glamour doll, Payal Rajput plays a de-glam role for the first time in her career. She performs well in the role of a greedy and impatient village belle. Chaitanya Krishna carries his role with good ease. The rest of the supporting cast do well within their limitations.
What about off-screen talents?
Anaganaga O Athidhi is the cinematic adaption of a theater drama titled ‘Karaala Raathri’. The film has an impressive climax twist but the lack of emotional connect in the openion sequences takes a toll on the narrative. The screenplay is bland and lackluster right from the start. Character establishment is horrendous to say the least. A lot of attention was paid towards visual presentation and emotional drive is left to the wind. The film does carry a relevant social message but the lead up to the same is least bit engaging.
Dialogues penned by Kasi are good. Music and cinematography complement each other quite well. Close to 30 minutes of the film could have been chopped off to make the final cut more engaging.
What’s hot?
Payal Rajput’s performance
Dialogues
Visuals and music
What’s not?
No emotional drive
Bland screenplay
Weak direction
Run-time
Editing
Verdict:
Anaganaga O Athidhi has a good premise but it is not utilised to the fullest as poorly written screenplay fails to keep the viewer engaged. The film has an exciting star cast but their efforts go in vein. This is just another OTT film which is poor in many aspects.
Watch or not?: Don’t be fooled by the trailer. Give it a skip.
TeluguBulletin.com Rating: 1.5/5