Adbhutam, starring Teja Sajja and Shivani Rajasekhar in the lead roles had a direct OTT release on Disney Plus Hotstar today. Let’s check how it is.
Story: A youngster named Surya( Teja Sajja) decides to commit suicide due to depression in life. At the same time, a girl named Vennela (Shivani Rajasekhar) also decides to commit suicide. But before dying, Surya sends a text message to his own phone number but it will be delivered to Vennela(Shivani). How come both Surya and Vennela share a common phone number? Later, what kind of incidents happen in their lives? Forms the crucial crux of the film.
Performances: Teja Sajja did his part quite convincingly. His screen presence and settled acting elevate the mood of the film nicely.
Heroine Shivani Rajasekhar is decent in her girl-next-door role. His performance is an added advantage for the movie. But the chemistry between the lead pair has not been showcased in a proper manner.
Other artists such as Tulasi, Shivaji Raja are okay in their given roles. Comedian Satya evokes decent fun in the hero’s friend role.
Technicalities: The cinematography by Vidyasagar Chinta is good as he tried to add quality texture to the film with his lens.
Music by Radhan is disappointing as his soundtracks fail to register. The background score is also not so great.
Editing by Garry is alright as he tried to keep the runtime within the limits.
Production values for this limited budget movie are okay.
Analysis: Director Mallikarjun Ram’s basic idea of making a film based on the two different time zones is good but he would have worked more on writing a better screenplay version.
Though the establishing scenes between the lead pair in the first half are executed in a decent manner, the narration in the second half falls flat due to a lack of gripping presentation.
Overall, Adbhutam is a time-travel film that has some good performances from the lead pair and a passable first half but the film fails to continue the same momentum in the second half.
Verdict: Second half dilutes!
Rating: 2.5/5
