Ghaati is a 2025 Telugu-language action crime drama written and directed by Krish Jagarlamudi. The film has Anushka Shetty & Vikram Prabhu playing the lead roles while Chaitanya Rao Madadi, Jagapathi Babu, Ravindra Vijay, Larissa Bonesi, Jisshu Sengupta, John Vijay, Devika, VTV Ganesh, Raju Sundaram, Alex, Raghav Rudra M & others are seen in important supporting roles. The music is composed by Sagar Nagavelli, while the film is produced by Rajeev Reddy & Sai Babu Jagarlamudi under First Frame Entertainment banner.
Story:
Sheelavathi (Anushka Shetty), a bus conductor, and Desi Raju (Vikram Prabhu), a lab technician, dream of saving money to get married. Meanwhile, two cannabis dons, Kundala Naidu (Chaitanya Rao) and Kaastala Naidu (Ravindra Vijay), hear about a new liquid cannabis made from a rare strain called Sheelavathi.
They soon realize an unknown gang is producing it in the Ghats.
Kundala Naidu later finds out that Desi Raju himself is secretly leading this gang. The story reveals why Desi Raju and Sheelavathi entered the drug trade and how the Ghaatis control the cannabis network in the Ghats.
What about on-screen performances?
Anushka Shetty shines in the role of Sheelavathi. She grabs attention in many scenes with her strong screen presence. She shines especially in the action sequences, where her aggression looks natural and convincing.
Tamil actor Vikram Prabhu makes his Telugu debut with this film, and he leaves a mark. He gets considerable screen space in the first half, almost giving the impression that he is the main hero. His performance is decent, and his scenes with Anushka work out nicely on screen.
Chaitanya Rao, as Kundala Naidu, succeeds in leaving an impression. Although he tends to be unnecessarily loud in a few scenes, his overall performance is fairly solid and works well for the role.
Jagapathi Babu is pretty ordinary, and his role looks a bit irritating at times.
Ravindra Vijay isn’t utilised properly in a weakly written role.
Raju Sundaram as Pebbuli and Alex as his sidekick do well in their parts and ably support the lead character.
Larissa Bonesi, Jisshu Sengupta, John Vijay, Devika, VTV Ganesh, Raghav Rudra M & others are okay in their limited supporting roles.
What about off-screen talents?
The story by Chintakindi Srinivas Rao is interesting with a fresh premise and a novel backdrop of the Ghaatis. But the writing lacked engaging moments that were needed to hook the audience.
The screenplay by Krish Jagarlamudi is not up to the mark and feels heavily inspired by the commercial films like Pushpa & KGF that have come out in the same genre. The lifestyle of the Ghaatis, their connection with cannabis, and their unique traditions and rituals were shown in detail, and those parts were quite interesting. But the drama that was needed between the Ghaatis and the baddies that forms the main conflict of the film looked very routine and outdated.
Director Krish Jagarlamudi does a decent job with his whole presentation, but his narration is uninspiring. The lead actor’s transitioning from a victim to a criminal to a legend is narrated in a lackluster manner with flat scenes. He also misses the emotional depth and a strong payoff his films usually have.
The dialogues do not have Krish’s mark in them, apart from a couple of lines here and there. They are too massy and routine.
The film starts on a decent note by introducing the Ghaatis, their lifestyle & the details about their occupation. The whole first half moves in a very predictable way, without even one exciting or standout moment. The railway station scene and the interval scene are the only passable scenes that have a bit of impact.
The second half turns into a regular revenge drama, and the narrative looks clueless. The writers load the entire second half with multiple action episodes one after the other that do not excite much and feel forced. The faceoff scenes between Anushka & Ravindra Vijay and between Anushka & Jagapathi Babu look ordinary & flat. The pre-climax fight is the best part of the film, and the climax, though it had a good purpose, remains impactless due to the predictability.
The cinematography by Manojh Reddy Katasani is good. He beautifully captured the lush greenery, hills, and scenic charm of the Eastern Ghats, making the visuals look rich and appealing.
The songs by Sagar Nagavelli are okay. Dassora & Sailore songs felt nice after watching them on big screens. But the rest other songs didn’t leave a mark. Also, his background score is one of the major drawbacks of the film. His score fails to lift the key portions in the film.
The editing by Chanakya Reddy Toorupu is not up to the mark. It feels uneven and affects the flow of the film, making some scenes look dragged and less engaging.
The artwork by Thota Tharrani and the costumes by Aishwarya Rajeev are excellent.
The VFX/CGI looked substandard and needed better output in the action scenes, especially.
The production values by First Frame Entertainment are adequate.
What’s Hot?
* Anushka Shetty’s Performance
* Vikram Prabhu’s Performance
* Chaitanya Rao’s Performance
* Interesting Premise & Ghaatis Backdrop
* Interval Scene & Pre-Climax Fight
* Dassora & Sailore Songs
* Cinematography & Production Values
What’s Not?
* Weak Screenplay
* Lacks The Needed Drama
* Jagapathi Babu & Ravindra Vijay’s Characterizations
* Dull Background Score
* Lengthy Action Sequences
* Tacky VFX In A Few Scenes
Verdict: Overall, Ghaati is an uninspiring action crime drama that rests heavily on the star power of Anushka Shetty and her comeback into acting. The writing lacked the drama that was needed in films like these, and the routine commercial treatment that looks inspired by films like ‘Pushpa’ & ‘KGF’ doesn’t go in the film’s favour.
Telugubulletin.com Rating: 2.5/5