Director Mahesh Reddy should have avoided being too specific in a few scenes and instead focused on the narrative.
A poster of the film 'Atharva'. (X)
Atharva (Telugu)
Of late, there seems to have been an unprecedented craze for suspense and crime thrillers in the entertainment market. Producers continue to present stories with diverse themes, yet none has been able to fully satisfy the appetite of film lovers so far.
Atharva is the latest crime investigation drama at the Telugu box office which is centred around the Clues team.
Directed by Mahesh Reddy, the movie stars Karthik Raju, Simran Chaudhary, and Ayraa Jain in the lead roles.
The film will hit the screens on 1 December. The talk came out of the premieres in this order:
Karthik Raju in ‘Atharva’. (X)
The story revolves around Karna (Karthik Raju) who has a penchant for investigating murder mysteries. He dreams of becoming a policeman but fails after multiple attempts due to his asthma disorder. That is, his friends advise him to apply for a detective position in the Clues team.
Karan quickly solves a theft case using his intelligence. This is when his college friend Nitya (Simran Choudhary), a crime reporter, meets him but Karna struggles to express his feelings for her.
Nitya’s friend Joshni (Ayraa), along with her boyfriend Shiva, is tragically shot dead by unknown assailants.
The police suspect Shiva, assuming that he killed his girlfriend out of suspicion. Since there was no evidence in the case, the case is closed.
However, Nitya refuses to believe this. Karna is determined to solve the case.
What’s the backstory of Joshni and Shiva? Why were they both killed? Who was the actual killer? — is the story in short.
The story directed by Mahesh Reddy is commendable. While this format has seen numerous stories, what sets Atharva apart is the investigation carried out by one of the Clues team officials, despite finding no traces of clues.
Often, in crime suspense thrillers, knowing the twists beforehand can diminish the intrigue on a second viewing. However, Atharva manages to avoid this pitfall.
Though the movie has its flaws, it succeeds in maintaining its momentum.
The first half moves at a slow pace, taking time to set up the plot and conflict with the narrative gaining momentum around a robbery case.
The murder of the heroine Joshni adds an interesting twist before the interval bang thus increasing the overall curiosity among viewers. But a few sequences turn out to be a total dud and unrealistic.
A newly recruited Karna gets earful by his superior when he fails to arrive on time at the office. The officer takes the Arushi murder case as an example of Karna being late.
Mahesh Reddy’s directorial ‘Atharva’. (X)
However, director Mahesh Reddy should have avoided being too specific in a few scenes and instead focused on the narrative.
For example, a scene involving Joshni and her boyfriend Shiva has them doing “method acting” in public. And immediately, they are seen dead in a pool of blood.
Sometimes you can’t stop viewers from assuming that they are still performing method acting, and it looks quite silly.
Protagonist Karna uses Sodium Pentothal on a suspect to get the truth out. The lady boss Sarah Varghese (Kalpika Ganesh) rules out that the suspect is not bluffing and hasn’t committed any crime. Isn’t that too much for a crime thriller?
Another episode of shell gas extraction which gets too preachy.
While the beginning of the second half might seem a tad slow, the film gains momentum, especially with the pre-climax and climax with its pacy screenplay and twists.
In the end, all elements witnessed so far seamlessly come together, building anticipation for the next part — Atharva 2.
It appears that the director has managed to leave a positive impression on the audience similar to Viswak Sen’s HIT (2020).
Karthik Raju’s portrayal as the Clues team investigator is brilliant. He showcases a wide range of emotions — from being a close buddy to his friends to his change in commitment to unearthing the mystery of his friend’s death.
The character looks natural, devoid of artificial scenes or fights aimed solely at heroism.
Simran Chaudhary is not utilised effectively on the screen.
Ayraa, as film star Joshni, puts up a commendable performance.
The rest of the cast manage to hold their ground to a reasonable extent.
From a technical standpoint, Atharva is impressive.
The “KCPD” song that comes in the first half is entertaining.
The cinematography by Charan Madhavanei skillfully captures the mood of the film.
Sri Charan Pakala’s songs are enjoyable, but the background score is the major highlight.
The editor does a good job with sharp and crisp cuts — it is noticeable in the second half.
Atharva has its pitfalls although it takes off well initially. The film fares better because of its pacy screenplay and unpredictable climax bearing a few over-the-board sequences.
(Views expressed here are personal.)
May 11, 2024
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