Chakravyuham-The Trap review: A loosely knit, illogical crime plot

Is it ever possible to crack a perfect murder? And what if there is a crime mystery that has multiple motives behind it?

You know that “X” is the murderer from the word go, but how and why are the questions that keep eluding you? And before the case is solved with the final unravelling of the plot, you see the layers getting peeled off one by one.

The latest box office release in Telugu, Chakravyuham-The Trap is one such murder mystery knotted so “tightly” that it takes so much for the cops to crack it!

Synopsis

The story is about the murder of a housewife named Sirisha (Urvashi Pardeshi) who gets brutally killed in her residence. Her throat is slit and she lies dead in a pool of blood. Gold worth ₹50 lakh and ₹50 lakh in cash go missing from the crime scene.

Her husband Sanjay (Vivek Trivedi) is off to work when the incident takes place.

The autopsy report states that Sirisha died of severe blood loss after her coronary artery ruptured when she was stabbed with a blunt object.

Meanwhile, the police find out that Sirisha wanted to donate her ancestral property worth ₹50 crore to an orphanage and her hubby Sanjay opposed her wish.

The cops also find out that Sirisha was secretly talking to her hubby’s business partner Sharath, a few weeks before the murder.

Is this a handy job of maids who look suspiciously when questioned? Could this be the business partner’s act? Or, is there any motive from her maternal relatives who disowned Sirisha in her childhood and later try to get closer to her for the want of the property?

The mysterious murder challenges Inspector Sathya (Ajay) who investigates the case along with the help of his deputy Gnaneswari Kandregula. How they trace the accused is the story to watch out for.

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Curiosity fizzles out

Before taking such stories from the script to the screen, a serious post-mortem should be carried out by filmmakers. Because, quite often they’re carried away by the story itself.

This is what exactly happens in Chakravyuham-The Trap.

Focus on the flow and the story’s rhythm are taken over by the logic, twists and intrigues, thereby eventually killing the plot.

In an attempt to keep the audience glued to the story, the cops come up with clues and figure out the puzzle in the first half. But little do viewers feel the emotional experience that goes missing throughout.

The second half paces up with the unravelling of the plot and identification of the culprits behind the crime. But the intrigue and the curiosity just fizzle out due to many other aspects coming to the fore.

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Amateurish filmmaking

Chakravyuham-The Trap also falls flat with its amateurish filmmaking and silly logic.

In the sequence where the victim’s husband Sanjay escapes from police custody. A handcuffed person easily unlocks himself and suddenly jumps off a wall only to be seen on the top of the building.

Similarly, a peal of boisterous laughter breaks in the theatre when actor Pragya Nayan attends a call on her mobile while she taking a shower.

Happy to launch the Trailer of #ChakravyuhamTheTrap for my brother @UrsAjayRavuri 🤗
Looks promising & Wish this brings you all the success you deserve.https://t.co/uCP9m0Xnb9

Best wishes to entire team #ChetkuriMadhuSudhan @sahasracreatio2 #Savithri @SahasraC_… pic.twitter.com/WKklbVYI6t

— Sai Dharam Tej (@IamSaiDharamTej) May 27, 2023

Performances

Actor Ajay looks impressive in the role of police inspector Sathya, an inquisitive, no-nonsense, upright police official who takes up the case so seriously. However, the director doesn’t justify properly why the inspector eliminates the accused in the end.

Vivek Trivedi, Urvashi Pardeshi, Gnaneswari Kandregula, and Pragya Nayan as an antagonist – all newbies – perform fairly well on the screen.

Seniors Srikanth Iyengar, Rajiv Kanakala, Shailaja Priya (as the mother of Sirisha), Kireeti, and Raj Tirandasu play their respective roles marginally with small screen space.

Verdict

In all, Chakravyuham-The Trap turns out to be a major disappointment!