CSI Sanatan starring Aadi Saikumar under the direction of Sivashankar Dev has hit the screens today. Let’s see how it fares.

Story: To crack the mystery behind the death of a corporate CEO Vikram Chakravarthy( Tarak Ponnappa), the police department approaches Crime Scene Investigation specialist Sanatan( Aadi Saikumar). Soon after taking up the high-profile murder case, Sanathan along with his colleague named Rudra( Ali Reza) kick-starts intense investigation. In the process of investigation what kind of unexpected facts will Sanatan and his team find out, forms the crucial crux.

Performances: As usual, Aadi Saikumar has a good screen presence as the lead role. His hardwork during the action sequences is visible on screen. Best part is that, Aadi did the role which out any unwanted built-up elevation on him.

Tarak Ponnappa gets a meaty role. His transformation looks in two different time zones is good and adds realistic texture to the proceedings. Acting-wise, glamorous actress Nandini Roy is okay in her prominent role.

Actor Madhusudan Rao is fine in his typical money minded role. Bigg Boss fame Ali Reza is alright in his key role as a cop.

Heroine Misha Narang is cute on screen but her role has no significance. Other artists such as Bigg Boss fame Vasanthi, Khayyum among others are fine in their respective roles.

Technicalities: The photography work by G Shekar is captivating as he presented the entire film on a lavish note. His framing is appealing throughout the film.

Anish Solomon’s music work registers well. While the songs are passable, the background score is arresting in parts. The production values for this limited budget film by Ajay Srinivas’ Chaganti Production are good.

Editing work is adequate. The same is the case with the production design work.

Analysis: CSI Sanatan is a crime investigation thriller. Sticking to the point, the team has worked on the scene order and we can witness it while watching the film. Director Sivashankar Dev handled the script nicely without any diversions.

While the screenplay lacks proper connectivity during the first half, all the dots are connected well during the key second half. How corporate system in our country is looting poor and middle-class sections is presented decently in the movie. To summarize, CSI Sanatan is a crime thriller that has a slow first half but the pace picks up in the second half and ends up as a decent watch.

Verdict: Second half saves!

Rating: 2.5/5