Today saw the release of the short film Annapurna Photo Studio, which was created by renowned production company Big Ben Cinemas. See our review to learn how the movie is.
Story: Chanti (Chaitanya Rao), a videographer in the village of Kapileswarapuram, enjoys a pleasant life with his loved ones. Gauthami (Lavannya Sahukara) finally begins to harbour sentiments for him after he falls in love with her. However, when Chandu makes an attempt at suicide, things take a dark turn, and the police start looking into the case based on his suicide note. Why did Chandu try to kill himself? What followed for him? The secret will be revealed in the film.
Performances: Chaitanya Rao Madadi, the protagonist of the movie, turns in a competent performance, especially considering that it follows his successful television series 30 Weds 21. Chaitanya Rao’s outstanding comic timing is expertly utilised by the filmmaker.
‘Viva’ Raghav excels in his role and generates some chuckles. It’s delightful to watch how he interacts with the main character.
Heroine Lavannya Sahukara perfectly captures the image of a traditional country beauty in the role of Gauthami. Her performance gives the movie the necessary appeal, opening the door for her to land more intriguing roles in the future.
Yash Rangineni, the film’s producer, astounds with his portrayal. The other characters all do a good job acting out their parts. The videography is pretty amazing, beautifully portraying the idyllic village settings.
Thanks to their excellent work, the art team and costume designers deserve praise for giving the film a 90s feel.
Technicalities: Chandu does a good job as a filmmaker, but as a screenwriter, he might have done a better job of making the second half less monotonous. Prince Henry’s music is good, and there are a few tracks that are both visually and aurally pleasing. The soundtrack further enhances the movie’s attractiveness.
Pankaj Thottada’s cinematography is deserving of appreciation. He makes a striking impression by using vivid colour tones to highlight the village’s attractiveness. A few sequences could have been cut by the editor, Venkat Prabhu, to prevent lag, especially in the second half. The art and makeup teams gave the film their best efforts, contributing to the excellent production values.
Analysis: The prefix “confused” that appears before the terms “direction,” “story,” “dialogues,” and “screenplay” after the film has ended represents Chandu’s perspective and isn’t always accurate. Although the plot is simple, the filmmaker does a good job of carrying it out.
While Chandu does a good job of telling the story in the first half, he falters in the second half, which is purposefully stretched out. To make the second half interesting, the filmmaker ought to have taken more attention.
The smooth flow of the narrative is hampered by the inclusion of pointless, predictable passages. While some exchanges are funny right away, others appear awkward and should have been worded better.
The roles of Lalith Adithya and Mihirah Gurupadappa may have been written with more drama. A few well-known actors in the cast might have improved the audience’s ability to relate to the characters.
Verdict: Annapurna Photo Studio is an overall competent romantic comedy drama. The film’s highlights include Viva Raghava’s humour and the major actors’ performances. However, its flaws in the second half include pointless sequences and a drab narration. This weekend, you can see this movie if you want to chuckle.
Rating: 2.25/5
