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Perhaps no other small film in recent times created as much buzz as ‘Andhala Rakshasi’. The movie has been directed by Hanu Raghavapudi and Sai Korrapati is the producer. Lavanya, Naveen and Rahul have played the lead roles in this film. Let us see how the movie is

Story :

Andhala Rakshasi is a tale of two love stories that have one common point. The story revolves around Mithuna (Lavanya), a beautiful small town girl. Gautham (Rahul) who is a part time guitarist, and Surya (Naveen) who is a scrap artist, fall in love with Mithuna. She means everything to them, and they do not know each other.

From Mithuna’s perspective though, it is Surya who has a place in her heart. A romantic track between the two is cut short by a cruel twist of fate. From then on, it is Gautham who comes into Mithuna’s life. Though she recognizes Gautham’s feelings and respects him, true love never fully develops. Fate once again intervenes towards the end and turns the whole story upside down.

What happens to Surya and Mithuna? Why does he move out of her life and why does Gautham come in? These are the things which need to be watched on the big screen.

Plus Points :

Lavanya is incredibly beautiful in the film. She has acted well and her portrayal of Mithuna deserves applause. She has a certain innocence and charm about her and she has a good future for roles like this. Naveen is very good as Surya. He has a certain rugged and macho look about him and his presence is crucial to the movie. The film only takes off in the second half after Naveen comes in. The chemistry between Naveen and Lavanya is neat.

CVL Narasimha Rao is just about ok. Pragathi is neat. The actor who has played Rahul’s dad is good.

The movie has beautiful visuals and high technical values. Lovers of photography will appreciate the effort that has gone into setting up each and every frame. The second half of the movie is good and has decent pace. Vijay makes a hilarious cameo entry in the second half with a Pelli Choopulu scene.

Songs have been shot well and there is poetry in every frame.

Minus Points :

For a film which had such beautiful visuals and good technical values, it is so sad to see it all being ruined by a terribly slow first half. Virtually nothing about the story is revealed in this half and it is very difficult to emotionally connect with the ordeal Lavanya and Rahul are going through. A lot of scenes should have been chopped off on the editing table to prop up the tempo of the first half.

Rahul is the weak link in the movie. He has the good looks but he needs to seriously work on his dialogue delivery. He shouts out each and every dialogue and it becomes a little painful on the ears. He sounds a lot like Siddharth and that is not good.

The climax is also way too tough for our viewers to digest. Also, for such sacrifices to gel with viewers, a strong and raw emotional bond must be established between the lead characters. This is not the case here.

The word ‘chachipotha’ comes in too many times in the film and it feels a bit monotonous.

Technical Values :

For a small film, Andhala Rakshasi’s production values are surprisingly good. Murali’s cinematography is good and the frames look rich and colourful. Editing is weak and better care could have been taken here. Dialogues are just about ok.

Hanu Raghavapudi’s craft and film making fundamentals are sound. He has a great sense of block composition. But he should have taken better care with respect to screenplay. Radhan’s music is good and gives the film a pleasant feel.

Verdict :

Andhala Rakshasi is a technically brilliant movie that is let down purely by a painfully slow and boring first half. A good second half and superb performances from Lavanya and Naveen help matters to some extent. Andhala Rakshasi is a film that could have easily been so much more. Watch it if you love to analyze the finer aspects of film making. The film may not find any support in B and C centers because of its look and feel.

123telugu.com Rating – 2.75/5

Reviewed by Mahesh S Koneru

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