Dhootha: This Riveting Paranormal Saga Makes Compelling Points About Politics And Journalism

‘Dhootha’ focuses on how Sagar (Naga Chaitanya) is related to the invisible forces and races against time to connect the dots.

An intriguing web show!

Dhootha (Telugu)

  • Cast: Naga Chaitanya, Priya Bhavani Shankar, and Parvathy Thiruthovu
  • Director: Vikram K Kumar
  • Producer: Sharrath Marar
  • Music: Ishaan Chhabra
  • No. of episodes: 8
  • OTT platform: Amazon Prime Video

Filmmaker Vikram K Kumar is not new to the genre of paranormal thrillers.

For example, the director made a horror film in Tamil titled Yavarum Nalam (2009). The same was dubbed into Telugu as 13 B.

13 B was a gritty thriller where a TV set becomes a character in the story.

After making a series of romantic and science fiction movies, the filmmaker is back with a paranormal thriller and this time, the focus is on journalism and politics.

Synopsis

Naga Chaitanya Vikram K Kumar
Actor Naga Chaitanya and director Vikram K Kumar on the sets of ‘Dhootha’. (X)

Sagar (Naga Chaitanya) and Priya (Priya Bhavani Shankar) are successful investigative journalists. They both are in a happy space, professionally and personally.

Priya is on maternity leave. But thankfully, director Vikram K Kumar doesn’t regulate her to just a one-note character.

Sagar is promoted as the chief editor of a newspaper called “Samachar“.

But the happiness doesn’t last long. A tragic accident claims the life of Sagar’s pet dog. Right before the tragedy, Sagar comes across a newspaper clipping which foretells what would happen.

The incident marks the beginning of many ominous messages foretelling future events and an external force targeting corrupt journalists.

Parvathy Thiruvothu plays an investigating officer named Kranti Shenoy.

In a nutshell, Dhootha focuses on how Sagar is related to these invisible forces and how he races against time to connect the dots.

Analysis

Naga Chaitanya in a still from Dhootha
Naga Chaitanya in a still from ‘Dhootha’. (X)

Vikram Kumar engrosses the viewers from the first frame. He does a brilliant job of balancing the suspense and supernatural elements.

A major strength of the Dhootha web series is how the director designs the character of Sagar.

Initially, the viewers see Sagar as an ideal husband and a righteous media person. He is an inspiration to many aspiring journalists.

But soon enough, layers upon layers come out. Sagar is a departure from the on-screen characters that Naga Chaitanya has portrayed thus far, and the actor more than rises to the occasion.

He does a splendid job, particularly when Sagar has mental and emotional breakdowns.

Backstory shines

Working still from Dhootha
A working still from ‘Dhootha’. (X)

The backstory of the newspaper involving Pasupathy and Tharun Bhascker also gives the web show some of its best moments.

There is a lot of impactful socio-political commentary.

For example, there are hard-hitting dialogues about how intersecting politics and journalism are dangerous for society. The web series also predicts that nothing good will come out of politicians running newspapers.

Apart from Pasupathy and Tharun Bhascker, Dhootha has many small characters. For example, Prachi Desai is Sagar’s PA, and Rohini is the mother. These characters have been neatly integrated into the main storyline by Vikram K Kumar.

For any thriller, it is necessary that the dots are connected, and the director has done a great job of connecting all the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle.

Like the television set in 13 B, the newspaper cuttings play a pivotal role in the web series. As soon as a newspaper cutting appears, the viewers feel tense about what will happen next.

Performances

Parvathy Thiruvothu doesn’t need an introduction. She has always been a solid actor. Here too, she makes a huge impact as the no-nonsense police officer.

Priya Bhavani Shankar Sagar, as spouse, is in good form. Her character comes with its grey shades.

Technically, the Dhootha web series is a solid product with top-notch cinematography and special effects.

However, one slight problem is the middle part where the parallel investigation of Kranthi feels a bit bloated.

Also, the closing episode could have been more impactful. However, these are just minor quibbles in an otherwise gripping show.

Verdict

In a nutshell, the Dhootha web series is a gripping paranormal saga that makes some pertinent points about politics and journalism.

Custody: A Competent Cop Drama That Keeps The Viewers Invested In Spite Of Its Shortcomings

Venkat Prabhu’s latest directorial takes time to find its feet but eventually gets better as the plot becomes thicker.

Watch it for Aravind Swami and Naga Chaitanya!
Custody (Telugu)
  • Cast: Naga Chaitanya Akkineni, Krithi Shetty, Arvind Swami, Priya Mani, Sarath Kumar, Sampath Raj, Premji Amaren, Vennela Kishore, and Premi Vishwanath
  • Writer-Director: Venkat Prabhu
  • Producer: Srinivasaa Chitturi
  • Music: Ilaiyaraaja and Yuvan Shankar Raja
  • Runtime2 hours 28 minutes

Cop dramas usually have a superhero cop who takes on an army of villains and vigilante justice is delivered. Venkat Prabhu’s Custody belongs to a slightly different space.

Here, Naga Chaitanya’s Shiva has the duty of protecting a goonda (criminal) and making sure that he is produced before the court, without any harm.

Another factor that makes Custody different from other movies of the same genre is the fact that Shiva is a constable, not a higher official. There is an underdog quality about him that makes him endearing.

Synopsis

The movie is set in the 1990s. Its opening shot is a terrible incident where 40 people die in a small town due to a gas cylinder blast. After that, we cut to the constable Shiva.

Shiva is someone who believes that human life is more important than anything else. This is wonderfully established when he rushes to stop the convoy of the Chief Minister (Priya Mani) so that an ambulance can pass.

Revathi (Krithi Shetty) is Shiva’s love interest. They both have a steady relationship for a while but there are some serious obstacles from her parents’ side.

Things take a turn with a car accident when Shiva is on the way to her house to save her from a forced marriage.

After the accident, two men are seen fighting – one is Raju (Aravind Swami) and the other is a CBI official George (Sampath Raj). Shiva ends up arresting both.

On reaching the police station, Shiva learns the true identity of Raju, a well-connected goonda with political backing. He needs to be produced at the Bangalore court in the next 24 hours to testify against some influential people.

Meanwhile, there is an assassination attempt to kill Raju before he reaches court. Shiva makes sure that the assassination attempt is not successful.

He and George escape from the police station with Raju. But IG Natraj (Sarathkumar) is hell-bent on making sure that Raju doesn’t reach the Bangalore court.

Adding to the mayhem, Revathi escapes from her house by making her prospective groom (Vennela Kishore) a bakra.

The rest of the story deals with whether Shiva is successful or not in producing Raju before the court and what happens to him and Revathi later.

Shortcomings & best moments

Custody begins engagingly. As viewers, we instantly connect with Shiva’s honesty and want him to succeed in whatever he does.

But things go haywire with the addition of the love story and also an irritating comedy track featuring Vennala Kishore.

The songs also come as major speed breakers, which is surprising, given that it is the first time that the father-son duo of Ilaiyaraaja and Yuvun Shankar Raja have worked together.

It is a step down from Ilaiyaraaja after a soulful soundtrack in Krishna Vamsi’s Rangamarthanda (2023).

Nevertheless, the plot becomes more engaging with the entry of Aravind Swami. The action set piece in the police station is wonderfully staged. Here, it has to be mentioned that, the background score is much better than the songs.

The cat-and-mouse chase involving Natraj, Raju and Shiva gives the film some of its best moments.

Another action stretch that deserves a mention is the pre-interval block involving an underwater sequence.

We see an unlikely bond developing between Shiva and Raju through the journey. This has been well-etched by Venkat Prabhu.

Impressive show by actors

Aravind Swami does a wonderful job in making sure that Raju, despite being a goonda, comes across as endearing. He also brings in some dry humour that raises many chuckles.

Much like in Sekhar Kammula’s Love Story (2021), here too, Naga Chaitanya plays an underdog and delivers a wonderful performance.

He does justice to the arc of the character which goes from a happy-go-lucky guy in the flashback to a determined young man in the present.

Krithi Shetty alternates between a typically chirpy heroine and a serious woman. She does it quite well in spite of the romantic track coming across as a hurdle.

Sarathkumar as Natraj makes for a formidable opposition.

Final take

Watch Custody for the performances of Naga Chaitanya and Aravind Swami along with some thrills.

Laal Singh Chadda: No Forrest Gump But Nevertheless A Worthy Adaptation

Forrest Gump starring Tom Hanks is considered an iconic film and rightly also. The journey of a slow-witted yet a kind-hearted person touched many cords when the film was released in 1994. Forrest Gump is a film which is also remembered for its political overtones. Remaking a film like this is a huge responsibility for any filmmaker. Advait Chandan takes on the mantle of the director here while Aamir reprises the iconic role of Tom Hanks. The Indian adaptation has been done by the acclaimed actor Atul Kulkarni. Atul Kulkarni changes the identity of the protagonist to a Sikh in the Indian version. The story plays out in the form of narration, with Laal Singh Chaddha talking about the various stages of his life to fellow passengers on a train.

Director Advait Chandan and screenplay writer Atul Kulkarni stay mostly true to the fable like quality of the original. Where the screenplay differs from the original is how the character of Kareena Kapoor Khan has been integrated and the love story between her and Laal Singh Chaddha. These changes definitely helped the film. Though there is a heavy dosage of Punjabi dialogues thankfully they don’t irritate much.

Before going further it is necessary to get the biggest comparison out of the way, and that is Tom Hanks versus Aamir Khan. There is no denying that Aamir overdoes the simpleton act. The exaggerated expressions take some time to get used to. At some points he even comes across as a cousin brother of PK. Laal will also remind you of Shahrukh’s Rizwan Khan from My Name Is Khan. However to the credit of Aamir he is still successful in making the audiences connect to the various stages of Laal Singh Chaddha’s life.

The political aspect in Laal Singh Chaddha film isn’t very overt, but you can clearly tell where the heart of the director and its leading man lies. The portions leading up to the Sikh riots are particularly effective. For example there is a scene where Laal’s onscreen mom (Mona Singh) saves her young son from the rioters by shortening his hair so that he won’t be identified as a Sikh. This scene is truly terrifying. Much later on we have a scene where Laal Singh Chaddha is tying a turban with a swelling background score playing.

Advait Chandan also does a wonderful job in creating two well etched female characters in the form of Mona and Kareena. The love story between Aamir and Kareena has been wonderfully etched starting from portions when they were children. You root for Laal and Kareena’s Rupa.  After a long time Kareena is in solid form. The actress imbibes Rupa with lot of sensitivity and compassion. Additionally Kareena is also stunning to look at. Mona Singh is also wonderful as the compassionate mother. She doesn’t miss a single beat and the lessons that she imparts to her son stay with us for a long time.

Naga Chaitanya making his Bollywood debut has a tricky role to play, which he manages to pull off well. He is from Kakinada whose family sells chaddis and banians. His character Balaraju is a fellow mate of Aamir during Laal’s army stint. There is a lot of chaddi and banian talk between the two, which brings a smile on our faces.

Laal Singh Chaddha also makes you travel to many places. The locations are a feast to the eyes, more so if you see it on the big screen. The music by Pritam is also in complete sync with the narrative.

While the first half of Laal Singh Chaddha is seamless, the bumps come in the second half. The track involving Manav Vij playing an enemy turned friend sounds very implausible. Advait does make a comment on how terrorists are misguided but this comes across as more contrived than organic. Also the film gets overdramatic once Aamir meets Kareena after a long gap. Ideally it should have ended with Aamir having a happy ending with Rupa, but in order to stay true to the original the director inserts a cancer track. From then on the film drags painfully. Aamir’s outburst in the pre-climax also doesn’t have the desired emotional affect, the reason being you are already exhausted by the running time. Fifteen minutes of the film could have been easily chopped.

PS: Of late more and more simpleton characters in films are humane and message oriented. Wonder why!!

Love Story: Naga Chaitanya Shines Bright In This Khichdi Of Highway And Sairat

Sekhar Kammula is a director who has created a niche for himself within a short span of time. Most of his movies have had a touch of feminist streak. For example in Anand, Kamalinee Mukherjee’s character Roopa is a woman with self respect, she is someone who places importance on her freedom and individuality. Roopa walks out of her marriage with a guy called Rahul when she realizes that her freedom and individuality are not being respected by him. In the film Godavari too the female character is a career oriented woman who is determined to become a successful business woman. The above mentioned films along with Fida dealt with these issues in a feel good manner and had immense repeat value. With Love story director Sekhar Kammula takes up a romantic film with serious undertones of caste and gender. While the film is a brave attempt within the format of a mainstream Telugu film but it had the potential to be better. Two things act as a huge deterrent. One is the length, at two hours and forty five minutes, the film feels too long. It could have been easily cut short by twenty to thirty minutes. Another issue is that the narration which reminds you of films like Highway and Sairat.

Sai Pallavi and Naga Chaitanya

The film begins off with the introduction of Naga Chaitanya’s Revanth, he comes from a lower caste in Armoor, Telangana. He has grown up listening to his mother about how it’s always better to be in a position where you can give financial assistance rather than having to receive it. Revanth is settled in Hyderabad, he runs a small Zumba centre. There are challenges but he is in a position where he can employ someone. Revanth has a dream of expanding the Zumba centre. Sai Pallavi’s Mounica on the other hand is a girl from an upper-caste family. Her family has acres of land but still she has to fight for her rights- financial and otherwise. Mounica finds her wings by partnering with Revanth but she is living in a constant fear, Mounica’s fear is regarding her family and what will they say if they find out about her work. She is particularly scared of her babai (uncle) played by Rajeev Kanakala. Mounica has a condition of trembling if anyone touches her. In fact her condition for joining with Revanth is that two feet distance must always be maintained. This problem has nothing to do with caste as we come to know later on.

Sekhar Kammula is most successful with how he develops the character of Revanth. It has been dealt with utmost sensitivity. Sekhar doesn’t resort to unnecessary commercial elements to prop up the character. Revanth is someone who tries to avoid conflicts as much as possible. He tries to solve problems through peace. There is only one scene towards the end where Revanth feels that enough is enough and decides to fight back. However this action scene works because of the context behind it. It is also refreshing to see Naga Chaintanya come out of his comfort zone playing a character like this. Naga Chaintanya delivers a career defining act. He gets the nuances of the role spot on starting from the accent.

The caste disparities have also been portrayed well. Although these scenes remind you of Sairat they still work. For example there is a scene where Revanth and her mother are looked down upon by the household of Mounica. Revanth is mocked by Mounica’s mother based on his attire and she doesn’t think twice before offering him second- hand shirts.

Sai Pallavi and Naga Chaitanya

Sekhar Kammula also does a good job in portraying Mounica’s psychological condition. The reason why she asks to maintain two feet distance has been well explained.

Lastly the scenes between Naga Chaitanya and Easwari Rao who plays the mother are a delight to watch. Her character is someone who is the moral centre of the film. Their relationship is one of the most satisfying aspects of the film. Eshwari Rao is very good in her role.

The biggest issue with Love Story is that Sekhar Kammula takes too much time in building up the love. There are too many Zumba dances which take half of the screen time. Too much time is also spent on the hero and hero’s introduction. As a result there are times when you feel that some scenes have been added without any purpose.

While Sai Pallavi is good in her role elements of Fida are very glaring. The Telangana accent and the dances are straight out of Fida. The crying scenes towards the end are too melodramatic and it acts as a hindrance for the audiences in completely sympathizing with the character.

Logically also there are some glaring loopholes. Uttej’s character is supposed to be an important role but he disappears when the hero needs him the most. The character of Sai Pallavi’s sister is also left midway. 

The hangover of Sairat and Highway also compound the issues. This hangover will be particularly felt for those who have seen the above mentioned ones.

Love Story isn’t a bad film but it doesn’t have the repeat value of Sekhar Kammula’s AnandGodavari and Fida.