Prathyardhi Movie Review, Rating

Prathyardhi was released in theatres today (January 6). Sanjay Saha of Gaalu Paalu Dream Entertainments has produced it.

Plot: SI Krishna Prasad (Ravi Varma) is a duty-minded cop whose wife Jaya (Sana) and daughter Nithya don't live with him. One day, a woman named Vaishali approaches him with a complaint, saying that her husband Vijay has been missing. When Krishna Prasad ventures to investigate the case in his own style, he comes to know that the missing person and his wife used to have quarrels with each other. He also suspects that the husband was in a relationship with a woman. This is when a youngster named Syed approaches the cop and claims that he saw three masked men enter Vijay's house on the day he went missing. He gets a mechanic named Shiva (Rohit Behal) and his two male friends Sashi and Ashok arrested as suspects. When the court starts the trial, some shocking facts related to the case emerge. What are the facts? Do the three men really have a connection with the missing person case? Are they really the masked men who Syed saw that night? Who killed Krishna Prasad's daughter Nithya at gunpoint? How are Nithya and Shiva related? Who is the culprit?

Performances: Ravi Varma holds a lot of talent in him. After a long time, he gets to play a full-fledged role. His talent has been used by the director well. Rohit Behal as Shiva has got both good looks and conviction. He is an acting talent to watch out for. Akshata Sonawane as a private detective named Neelima is impressive. Vamsi Alur as constable Satya is good. Balvir Singh as Thiru does comedy. Late TNR as Lawyer Raghunath is effective. Tagubothu Ramesh and others fit the bill. Sneha Guptha and Sneha Namanandhi also make their presence felt.

Technical Departments: Paul Praveen's background music is a plus. The cinematography, the editing, and Shaolin Mallesh's action choreography are passable.

Analysis: Suspense thrillers always have currency. When the screenplay is tight, nothing can stop a suspense thriller/murder mystery from working. That's why directors/producers these days are showing a great deal of interest in the genre. Prathyardhi, by taking off on a promising note, seeks to become a tight thriller. It's good that the scenes in the first half become complete in the second half when loose ends are tied together. That's what a thriller is supposed to do. The twists as revealed in the climax give a high. The interval twist is another well-executed part. And the story flies once Vijay's dead body is found in the dump yard. The way the cop explores different angles is interesting. The drama also shows the twists in a clear-cut fashion. The romantic scenes, however, don't help the flow. They hinder the narrative. The film should have avoided some extra characters that don't find themselves integrated into the script. Some draggy moments could have been edited tightly.

Verdict: Director Shankar Mudavath's output is gripping. This thriller is watchable.

Rating: 2.75