With his first OTT series, Athidhi, Venu Thottempudi, who just made a comeback on the big screen, is back. In addition to Avanthika Mishra, Venkatesh Kakumanu, and Aditi Gautam, the show is written and directed by Bharath Y.G. Several Indian languages are currently being used to view the series on Disney Plus Hotstar. Let’s check it out.
Story: A writer named Ravi Varma (Venu Thottempudi) and his paralyzed wife Sandhya (Aditi Gautam) share a house. A mystery woman by the name of Maaya (Avanthika Mishra) visits Ravi’s home on a wet night and requests permission to spend the night in the mansion. In agreement, Ravi grants her entry. On the other hand, Savari (Venkatesh Kakamanu), a YouTuber who typically uploads videos about ghost hunting, becomes frightened after encountering a ghost.
He also looks for refuge at Ravi’s mansion. When Savari sees Maaya there, he thinks that she is actually a ghost rather than a living person. In order to save their lives, he advises Ravi that they should quickly leave the estate. Who is Maaya here? What is the cause of her enigma? What then did Savari and Ravi do? The focus of the series is on this.
Performances: The main characters are skillfully introduced as the story immediately begins after the opening sequence. The background’s scary element initially keeps things interesting. In this scary movie, Venu Thottempudi gave a nuanced performance. Athidhi demonstrates he still has it with the excellent way he emotes in crucial scenes.
Avanthika Mishra received a cool role, and she did fairly well in it. She had a great appearance, and her character also conveyed a message to society. As a YouTuber, Venkatesh Kakamanu was lovely. His straightforward but potent presentation makes an impression.
The beauty of Neninthe In the role she has been given, Aditi Gautam does okay. Bhadram and Ravi Varma carried out their duties as required. The background music complemented the frightening theme. The series contains a few short stories, and they are well done.
Technicalities: The background music by Kapil Kumar is nice, and it improves the impact of a few scenes. Good cinematography was done by Manojh Katasani. Although the series moves quickly, things start to feel hurried as it gets closer to its conclusion. The production quality is acceptable.
The writer-director Bharath created a compelling story, but he could have improved the way it was delivered. The subject’s promise isn’t fully realized because the show fails to successfully elicit frights and shivers.
Analysis: The series’ narrative is excellent on paper, but it was poorly adapted for the screen. Jumpscare sequences and other horror effects had a lot of potential to thrill viewers, but the execution lacked impact. Due to the use of clichéd situations, the frightening effects failed to deliver as intended.
The manner the twists are delivered, though, is the worst flaw. These twists are a big part of the show, and if they had been handled fairly, the impact would have been much greater. The way a few scenes are handled makes the turns obvious from a distance, and here is where the program falls short.
The series’ ending is very dismal. The last episode had a lot of plot development, but this episode feels hurried. There were certain moments that ended suddenly, and some things needed further explanation.
Verdict: Overall, Athidhi is a half-baked horror thriller with a few standout scenes. Good performances were given by Venu Thottempudi, Avanthika Mishra, and Venkatesh Kakamanu. Although the show’s premise and plot are intriguing, the anticipated thrills aren’t present. Because of how important twists are presented, Athidhi doesn’t quite rise to its full potential.
Rating: 2.5/5
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