Naga Chaitanya has made his OTT debut with the web series Dhootha, which has been released today. The series is written and directed by Vikram K Kumar, of Manam and 24 fame. Let us see how this series has turned out to be.
Story:
Sagar is a journalist who is only too happy with his recent promotion at work. However, following this promotion, he is met with tragedy, as he loses his family members unexpectedly. The twist here is that other newspapers and channels already predicted this before it happened. Sagar then starts uncovering how this is possible. What happens in the end forms the rest of the story.
On-Screen performances:
Naga Chaitanya has done a good job in his character, as a man who is always on the lookout of the safety of his family. How his character undergoes changes after they are endangered, is a good transition that the actor has managed to pull off. He is good in the emotional and dramatic scenes of the series, and one can see how much he has grown as an actor.
Parvathy Thiruvothu plays a significant role in the film, and she doesn’t disappoint at all. In fact, her performance is one of the major highlights of the film. She once again proves how talented she is, as an actor, with this web series.
The other actors in the film, including Priya Bhavani Shankar, Prachi Desai, Pasupathy, Ravindra Vijay, Tharun Bhascker, and others, have done a good job in their characters.
Off-Screen Talents:
Dhootha doesn’t have a particularly new concept or story, but it is the way that Vikram Kumar narrates it that makes a whole world of difference. The director showcases once again how brilliant he is at narrating his stories, when given his own creative freedom. He also extracts the best performance from all of his actors, and he manages to get the audience’s interest from the very opening scene. While the story seemed to have been watered down during the flashback portions, the rest of the series is pretty interesting. The runtime could also have been a lot crisper, which would have made the series even more intriguing.
The background music by Ishaan Chhabra is on point, and makes every scene so much better. The cinematography of the film is also a plus point for the film, as every frame is appropriate for the story being told on screen.
The production values are top notch, but the editing could have been better.
Plus Points:
- Screenplay
- Naga Chaitanya’s performance
Minus Points:
- Flashback portions
- Pacing and runtime
Verdict: Dhootha is an impressive OTT debut for Naga Chaitanya. It is a series that will capture your interest from start to finish. It can be watched over the weekend.
Telugubulletin.com Rating: 2.75/5