Karthikeya (U/A) (Telugu)

Cast: Nikhil Siddharth , Swathi Reddy

Banner: Magnus Cine Prime Banner

Producer: Venkat Srinivas

Director: Chandoo Mondeti

Music: Sekhar Chandra

Budget: N/A

Timesofap.com gives you Karthikeya Telugu Movie Review.Nikhil’s Kartikheya has been waiting for a release from quite some time now. Directed by Chandoo Mondeti, this film has finally hit the screens today. Let’s now see how this Nikhil and Swathi starrer is.

Story

The story revolves around the mysterious Subramanyeswara Swamy temple in Subramanyapuram. The temple is shut down for mysterious reasons, and all those who try to find out the story behind this get killed by a deadly snake bite.

On the other hand, Katrhik(Nikhil) is an intelligent medical student who is posted to Subramanyapuram along with his group. Once they land there, mysterious things start happening to him and his group. A pretty upset Karthik decides to take things in his hands and solve the mystery himself.

What is the mystery behind the temple ? Why are people dying of snake bites ? Will Karthik be able to solve the mystery ? That forms the rest of the story.

Performance

Nikhil has given a subtle performance. He has shown a great transformation as an Engineering student in 'Happy Days' to a Medico in 'Karthikeya'. His dialogue delivery is one more plus, he pulled out the role with ease.

Swathi is restricted to few moments in the movie. She has nothing much to offer, yet looks glamorous in the songs.

Rao Ramesh, Tanikella Bharani, Praveen and Kishore have done justice to thier roles. Police officer, 30 years industry Prithvi and poor old mad Sadhu are wasted among others.

Plus Points

Major plus point of the film is the story itself. Right from the word go, the entire film is quite interesting. Kudos to the director, who has written an engaging story which has enough twists and turns. Karthikeya is a complete directors film which makes you stick to your seats with its racy narration. The suspense factor and mythological touch have been superbly executed.

Coming to Nikhil, he suits his medico role perfectly. It is quite surprising and impressive to see him perform the way he did. Nikhil had a lot of scope to showcase his talent and he delivers it with a lot of ease. Comedy quotient in the film has been maintained quite nicely in the first half with Praveen doing a good job as Nikhil’s friend.

Yet another major plus point of the film is its background score. Shekhar Chandra elevates the film to another level with his tout background score. First half of the film is very engaging, and the way the love story has been weaved into this suspense thriller is quite good.

Minus Points

Even though the film ends on a superb note, the climax is a bit rushed. May be the audience who are glued to their seats with much enthusiasm, expect something more from the climax.

Heroine Swathi does not have much to do in the film, and looks lost out in the plot. Second half is a bit slow when compared to the first. The film wanders slightly during this part and some unnecessary scenes take center stage.

Technical

Karthikeya is never felt as a debut film of Chandoo Mondeti. The new filmmaker maintained the suspense with par excellence. Laudable screenplay with well written and best suited dialogues. Sekhar Chandra's background music stands as a pillar for the movie. 'Intalo', 'Saripovu', 'Prasnante' songs shot well. Karthik Ghattamaneni's cinematography is an asset. Flashback episodes with a storyboard narration have been executed well. Art direction is praise worthy. Editing by K Srinivas is acceptable with the pace and run time. Comparatively second half could have been better.

Analysis

Karthikeya is technically sound. The movie is incorporated with right amounts of twists and thrills. Screenplay, cinematography and background score complements each other from the first frame, generating right mood to the audiences. Comedy quotient is neatly maintained in the movie without deviating from the story line. After the interesting first half and the interval bang, few unfolds in the counterpart appears predictable. Abrupt Climax leaves instances for the sequel. 'Konni Abaddalu Alochinchakunda Nammutham, Konni Nijalu Nammadaniki Alochistam' and 'Prapanchamlo Prathi Prasnaki Samadhanam Untundhi, Samadanam Lekapothe Samasya Prasnadhi Kadu Prayathnanidi' are best dialogues.

Final Word

On the whole, Karthikeya is one of the most refreshing films in the recent past. Novel concept, gripping screenplay, Nikhil’s performance and cleverly designed suspense elements make this film different from others, and ends up as quite an engaging watch this weekend.