Sharathulu Varthisthai! review: Chaitanya Rao and Bhoomi Shetty shine in this village-based middle-class drama

Sharathulu Varthisthai! is about a government employee named Chiranjeevi (Chaitanya Rao), whose life is run by every penny he saves.

Chiranjeevi lives in a small neighbourhood in Karimnagar town along with his mom, brother, and sister. He falls for a village girl named Vijayashanti (Bhoomi Shetty).

After overcoming initial obstacles, both families agree to unite the couple. Their marriage celebration doesn’t last long as their lives take an unforeseen turn when Chiranjeevi’s friends introduce him to a multi-level marketing scheme.

This leads to a chain of unexpected events. How Chiru comes out of these tacit circumstances of his life forms the crux of the film.

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Analysis

The character introductions in the story set a solid foundation by capturing the essence of middle-class struggles and joys. The narrative progresses smoothly, cutting into family dynamics and a sweet love story without haste.

Introducing the twist of the multi-level scheme makes you invest in the story.

Rural politics leading up to the climax add depth to it. Director Kumar Swamy should realise the slight risk of dragging out a minor plot point too long.

His debut as a film director is commendable, particularly for portraying middle-class lives against the backdrop of Telangana. The characters are authentic.

All the roles have been designed with Telangana dialect, customs, and culture. Thus, they effectively reflect the region’s essence.

The director should have injected a strong conflict in the plot to avoid pacing problems. Nevertheless, the authenticity of the character’s portrayal and the way the region was depicted is good.

Sharathulu Varthisthai! aims to highlight the susceptibility of lower-middle-class individuals to fraudulent schemes.

The production team should have taken more care to ensure that the story was translated well on the screen. The lack of finesse in execution seems to be the big letdown.

Although the realistic dialogue is a strong point, the film fumbles due to a lack of compelling drama and engaging sequences.

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Performances

Chaitanya Rao perfectly nails the performance of a marginalised middle-class employee. His body language, appearance, and attitude aptly suit the character.

With each film, the actor seems to be honing his skills, by delivering a strong performance that carries the weight of the film.

Bhumi Shetty shines as a typical rural girl. She impresses us with her natural acting.

Nandakishore plays his role well, while Shankaranna convincingly portrays an honest politician.

Chandra Pratap makes a mark with his portrayal of negative shades.

The rest of the cast do justice to their parts.

The music, the background score, and the cinematography are convincingly impressive.

Arun Chiluveru scored the music and penned the songs with Telangana nativity. They are all the highlights of the film.

Prince Henry’s background score makes many scenes feel good.

Cinematographers Praveen Vanamali and Shekar Pochampally brilliantly capture the beauty of Karimnagar and the adjacent village life.

Verdict

Sharathulu Varthisthai! portrays the struggles of middle-class life, financial woes, and minor family conflicts in an emotional manner.

While it lacks commercial appeal and the story progresses slowly, the standout features include well-designed characters and natural acting by the cast, especially Chaitanya Rao and Bhoomi Shetty.

(Views expressed here are personal.)