Virupaksha Movie Review
Sai Dharam Tej is back with a mystical thriller, Virupaksha, to entertain the audience. The movie, directed by Karthik Dandu, has Samyukta Menon as the female lead. Amidst good buzz, the film has hit the screens today, and let’s see how it is.
Story :
Set in the backdrop of the 1990s, the story takes place in a village named Rudravanam. Surya (Sai Dharam Tej), along with his mother, visit their village after a long time. He instantly falls in love with Nandini (Samyukta Menon), a village belle and daughter of Rudravanam’s sarpanch. Suddenly a series of mysterious events happen in the village, and people keep dying one after the other. What’s actually happening in Rudravanam? What’s the reason behind the continuous deaths? How did Surya unravel the mystery? The movie has the answers.
Plus Points :
The first half is mostly racy except for the romantic track. The movie begins on an interesting note as the director wastes no time in setting up the plot. One would get involved in the proceedings right from the very first frame. Sukumar shows his brilliance with the screenplay in the first hour. The amount of effort put in by the production design team to take us into the world of Rudravanam is brilliant.
The sound effects in Virupaksha are scintillating and are sure to send chills down the spine. Not one, but there are many sequences in the film that are brilliantly executed with the help of these sound effects. The first half will thrill and scare the viewers at the same time. The makers made sure not to miss out even on the minute detailing and thus enhances the viewing experience.
Sai Dharam Tej sheds his mass image and plays his part neatly. He, as a person who tries to unravel the mystery in the village, did a fair job. The mega actor has shown a lot of maturity in his performance and did what exactly the script demands from him.
Samyukta Menon gets a meaty role, and she did a spectacular job as well. Samyukta played the village girl role with utmost conviction, and the film has ample scope for the actress to display her acting prowess. The gorgeous beauty grabbed the opportunity with both hands and gave it her all.
The writing is trenchant in most places, and the terrific background score elevates the proceedings superbly. The characterizations are strongly written, and even those who appear for a brief time will drive the story forward. Ajay, Sai Chand, Shymala, Soniya Singh, and Brahmaji did their roles well.
Minus Points :
After a very good first half, one would obviously expect the second half to have the same momentum, but this part disappoints slightly. Though it has a couple of well-executed twists, the pacing dips, weakening the impact. The climax also could have been a bit better.
The romantic track in the initial parts of the movie is a bit boring. The scenes that come in this regard could have been written better. The routine nature of the love track and the song here come as a speed breaker for the film’s flow. The movie is not for the faint-hearted, as it has gore sequences.
Technical Aspects :
Virupaksha is one of the well-crafted movies technically. The background score by Ajaneesh Loknath is top-notch, and it keeps one haunted till the end. It won’t be an overstatement to say that Ajaneesh Loknath is the second hero of Virupaksha. Kudos to the team for such exhilarating sound effects, which were made an integral part of the story. The cinematography by Shamdat is fantastic and gives the required depth. The production values are excellent. The editing could have been slightly better.
Coming to the director, Karthik Dandu, he has done a good job with the movie. The way he penned the story and the amount of depth in his writing is awesome. He made fantabulous use of technical values to present his story effectively on the screen. Sukumar’s association with the film is the icing on the cake. However the second half and climax were not that great.
Verdict :
On the whole, Virupaksha is an engaging mystical thriller that is high on technical values. A good storyline, commendable performances by the actors, pulse-pounding sound effects, and neat direction are its trump cards. Barring the slightly slow second half, this movie very much deserves a theatrical experience for its incredible technical values. Recommended.
