Aswathama

Ramana Teja’s debut film is ambitious, because Aswathama wants to tell the tale not just of a frustrated common man looking to hunt down a psychopath, but because it also takes the time to establish the depravity of the one doing the evil deeds. The film might not spend as much time on the antagonist as it does on the protagonist, falling in no-man’s-land between exploring its full potential and revealing the antagonist too soon, but Aswathama manages to pull off the tale despite the hitches. You will still see the rawness in the proceedings, especially if you’re a fan of the genre, but it’s a good attempt.Gana (Naga Shaurya) has been in love with his sister Priya (Sargun Kaur Luthra) since she was born. He comes to India because she’s getting engaged to Ravi (Prince Cecil) and just when he thinks everything is going hunky dory, he chances upon her trying to take her own life. A shocked yet understanding Gana tells her he will help her no matter what and she tells him she’s pregnant. The problem is she doesn’t know how and the stage is set for the mad chase a brother goes on to get his sister the answer she deserves and wants. Also in this tale are four fishermen, an old man, a psychopath and his constant companion – the motley crew harming the girls who have similar tales to Priya.The way Ramana Teja connects the dots that chart across the landscape of picturesque Vizag and its dingy by-lanes of Jalaripeta is commendable. What is not is the time he spends meandering in the first-half before getting to the point. The whole track between Gana and his girlfriend Neha (Mehreen Pirzada) just doesn’t work and she seems to just exist in the tale as a third-wheel for the brother-sister duo, someone he can yell at when frustrated and ask for help when needed because he certainly doesn’t think he can share his secret with her. Sri Charan Pakala’s duet and a wedding number go wasted in the middle of the crisis and the film shines only when it gets to the problem at hand.Naga Shaurya does an okay job when it comes to portraying emotions for some reason. His pain and confusion in key scenes certainly don’t come through. His frustration and anger work well for the action scenes which work for the most part. Mehreen Pirzada is good enough but wasted in a role that gives her limited scope. Sargun also fares well. Jisshu Sengupta as the psychopathic forensic pathologist plays the part well-enough. Ramana Teja, on paper, seems to want to show how his character slowly but surely unravelled to where he’s today but while he dares to show the extent of his character’s depravity on-screen, the way he hurries through it never lets the gravity his wickedness set in. Ankith Koyya does a good job as the young Dr Manoj Kumar, showcasing the beginning of the downfall well.Whatever inconsistencies you feel in the film are mostly wrapped up in the backstory but the set-up in the first half of the film and the way the reveal happens in the second half seem disjointed. Ghibran’s BGM works even if it’s not his best but it manages to get the job done. Garry BH’s editing is choppy in parts and Manojh Reddy’s camerawork is okay. The way Gana finally zeroes down on Dr Manoj as the culprit is natural and based on pure luck but the reasoning might not work for everyone. The hurried climax too is plain okay.Aswathama delivers what it promises – a riveting story and oodles of action. Ramana Teja makes a good debut by sticking to the subject at hand without too much deviation. If you’re a hard-core thriller fan, you might still be left disappointed by some parts because you don't engage as much as you're supposed to, but the film is still a decent watch for the weekend. The gore and depravity however mean it’s definitely not for the faint-hearted.

On the whole, Ashwathama is an emotional thriller with a riveting first half. Naga Shourya leads from the front and is superb in his action avatar. But the film bogs down in the second half with predictable scenes and hurried up climax. However, that does not mean the film becomes dull. It has some well packaged thrills and ends up as a decent watch this weekend.

Aswathama comes with a fairly engaging screenplay.The premise is engrossing enough.The proceedings become substantial in the climax.With smarter writing, the loose ends could have been done away with.