3

Horror comedy entertainer O Manchi Ghost, starring Vennela Kishore and Nandita Swetha in key roles, is now out in theatres. Shankar K. Marthand directed the film. Let’s see how the film is.

Story:

Chaitanya (Rajat Ragava), Pavuram (Shakalaka Shankar), Raziya (Navami Gayak), and Lakshman (Naveen Neni) are in dire need of money. They get to know about each other, and Chaitanya comes up with a plan to make quick money. Chaitanya kidnaps his cousin Keerthi (Nandita Swetha) with the help of the other three, but little do they know about a secret related to Keerthi. What happens later forms the crux of the story.

Plus Points:

The twist related to Nandita Swetha’s character brings some freshness to the horror comedy, making things a bit interesting. The first half is watchable, with some fun moments. Vennela Kishore and Shakalaka Shankar bring the house down with their antics.

Though the movie appears to be made on a shoestring budget, the visual quality looks neat with decent VFX works. The background score composed by Anup Rubens is quite good, and it lifts the impact of a few scenes. Nandita Swetha and Navami Gayak did a satisfactory job.

Minus Points:

Though the movie has an interesting idea, the narrative is filled with familiar tropes. The horror comedy genre has been overused lately, and there isn’t anything new regarding the film’s screenplay. The makers tried to cash in on the strengths of Vennela Kishore and Shakalaka Shankar. Rajat Ragavan and Nagineedu’s characters are underdeveloped.

Like in any other horror film, there is a flashback episode in O Manchi Ghost as well, but it doesn’t bring the intended emotional depth. The movie’s title isn’t justified properly. Had the flashback portions been handled better, the overall impact could have been much better. Things become repetitive in the second half with routine scenes.

Technical Aspects:

The songs are passable, but the background score is impactful. The cinematography by Andrew Babu Naidu is nice, and so are the production values. The editing is decent.

Coming to director Shankar K. Marthand he did a below-par job. Rather than relying completely on entertainment, he should have brought some seriousness to the proceedings. Thankfully, the movie isn’t lengthy, and there are some passable moments here and there.

Verdict:

On the whole, O Manchi Ghost has an interesting idea, but that has been narrated in a formulaic manner. The first half has some passable moments, but the second half gets uninteresting with repetitive scenes. The crucial flashback episode isn’t handled well and the movie lacks emotional depth. Nanditha Swetha and Navami Gayak are good in their roles. Vennela Kishore and Shakalaka Shankar deliver a few laughs, but the overall experience is underwhelming.

123telugu.com Rating: 2.5/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

Click Here For Telugu Review