‘Raaghu’ movie review: This solo-actor thriller is weak on execution

‘Raaghu’ movie review: This solo-actor thriller is weak on execution

Vijay Raghavendra in a still from ‘Raaghu’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Debutant M Anand Raj’s  Raaghu, a solo-actor film,  is a thriller set in the backdrop of the second wave of the pandemic. The film is a gutsy attempt, yet it keeps you at arm’s length throughout its 93-minute runtime due to its poor entertainment […]

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‘Raghavendra Stores’ movie review: A hotchpotch Jaggesh film with few bright spots

‘Raghavendra Stores’ movie review: A hotchpotch Jaggesh film with few bright spots

Jaggesh in a still from ‘Raghavendra Stores’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement In Santhosh Ananddram’s  Raghavendra Stores, the shift from one plot point to another is so abrupt that it’s hard to comprehend the film’s central theme. You think the film is about Hayavadana (Jaggesh), a diligent cook at a traditional eatery called Raghavendra Stores, and […]

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‘Virupaksha’ movie review: Sai Dharam Tej and Samyuktha Menon’s film invokes fear without the gimmicks

‘Virupaksha’ movie review: Sai Dharam Tej and Samyuktha Menon’s film invokes fear without the gimmicks

Sai Dharam Tej in ‘Virupaksha’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement When a story discusses paranormal activities, it is easy to brush it aside as superstition. The task of the storyteller, then, is to build the world of the story such that the viewer is drawn into it and remains invested in the mysterious happenings and […]

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‘Das ka Dhamki’ movie review: Vishwak Sen’s new film is an over-indulgent exercise

‘Das ka Dhamki’ movie review: Vishwak Sen’s new film is an over-indulgent exercise

Vishwak Sen takes on a dual role in ‘Das ka Dhamki’ Das ka Dhamki, actor-director Vishwak Sen’s new Telugu film in which he plays a dual role and also shares the writing credits with Prasanna Kumar Bezawada, has a shape-shifting story that tries to tick many boxes. It tries to be a breezy romance, a […]

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‘Rangamarthanda’ movie review: Prakash Raj, Brahmanandam’s moving portrayals prop up an old-school drama

‘Rangamarthanda’ movie review: Prakash Raj, Brahmanandam’s moving portrayals prop up an old-school drama

Rangamarthanda’s strength is its talented cast | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement The stage that has been ravaged by time and fire has witnessed better times; an ageing actor who stands amid the ruins on that stage has also witnessed better times. His story serves as a foil to discussing the purpose of art and the […]

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‘Phalana Abbayi Phalana Ammayi’ movie review: Srinivas Avasarala’s slice-of-life romance drama

‘Phalana Abbayi Phalana Ammayi’ movie review: Srinivas Avasarala’s slice-of-life romance drama

Naga Shaurya and Malvika Nair in the Telugu film ‘Phalana Ammayi Phalana Abbayi’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Nearly a decade ago when Srinivas Avasarala debuted as a writer and director with the breezy rom-com Oohalu Gusagusalade, Telugu movie buffs were charmed by the uncanny humour, music and smart writing of the characters. That wasn’t […]

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‘Anger Tales’ Telugu anthology review: Hits and misses in stories that explore anger through effective performances 

‘Anger Tales’ Telugu anthology review: Hits and misses in stories that explore anger through effective performances 

(Clockwise) Phani Acharya, Venkatesh Maha, Bindu Madhavi, Ravindra Vijay, Madonna Sebastian and Tharun Bhascker in the Telugu anthology ‘Anger Tales’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement A nagging situation someone faces might seem trivial to others. The one who faces the triggering situation might put up with something until it reaches a breaking point and give […]

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‘Balagam’ movie review: This Priyadarshi-starrer set in rural Telangana is a hilarious and poignant drama

‘Balagam’ movie review: This Priyadarshi-starrer set in rural Telangana is a hilarious and poignant drama

Priyadarshi, Kavya Kalyanram and Sudhakar Reddy in the Telugu movie ‘Balagam’ In Balagam, debut director Venu Yeldandi’s Telugu movie set in rural Telangana, a lady wails while recalling how the elderly man who has breathed his last had always relished the tea she served and asked for two more spoons of sugar and had also […]

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‘Vinaro Bhagyamu Vishnu Katha’ movie review: A concoction of absurd ideas

‘Vinaro Bhagyamu Vishnu Katha’ movie review: A concoction of absurd ideas

Kiran Abbavaram in ‘Vinaro Bhagyamu Vishnu Katha’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement At the conceptualisation stage of the Telugu film Vinaro Bhagyamu Vishnu Katha, directed by Murali Kishor Abburu and starring Kiran Abbavaram in the lead, perhaps the makers thought they had a few incredible ideas and some twists and turns that add to the […]

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‘Amigos’ movie review: This Kalyan Ram Telugu film has an interesting premise, but the narration is lacklustre

‘Amigos’ movie review: This Kalyan Ram Telugu film has an interesting premise, but the narration is lacklustre

Kalyan Ram in three avatars in the Telugu movie ‘Amigos’ In the first few minutes of debut writer-director Rajendra Reddy’s Telugu film Amigos, Siddharth (Kalyan Ram) tells his family members, who are searching for a suitable matrimonial alliance for him, that he wants to meet a girl who will pique his interest. He uses the […]

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