Samantha has turned producer with the film Subham. The horror comedy has been directed by Praveen Kandregula of Cinema Bandi fame. Featuring mostly new faces in lead roles, the film has been released today. Read our review to know if the film lives up to the hype or not.
Story: Set in a small town, Subham is the story of three men whose wives get possessed while watching a particular TV serial at 9 PM daily. This creates a new tension for everyone in the village. The three friends find new ways to stop these evil spirits from going berser,k but they fail each time. Why are women getting possessed watching the serial and how did they came out of the issue is the basic story of the film.
Performanes: Harshith has a natural ease in his acting, and he fits perfectly into the role of a young man named Srinivas. Even though he’s a Telangana native, he showed great initiative in delivering dialogues in the Uttarandhra dialect. Srinivas Gavireddy has great comic timing, and this film brings that out well. As a typical husband who gets beaten up by his wife but can’t talk about it publicly, his dialogue delivery and body language are hilarious.
Charan Peri somehow didn’t get fully elevated in the film. Shriya Kontham, Shalini Kondepudi, and Shravani Lakshmi, it is Shalini who impresses the most with her natural performance. Especially in the role of the possessed woman, she truly inhabits the character. Vamsidhar Goud entertains with his comedy timing. Though Samantha appears in only two scenes, she is just about okay.
Technical Aspects: Vivek Sagar’s background score brilliantly elevated the film and its emotional core. The nostalgic music treatment in the opening sequences, reminiscent of the 1990s, evokes a strong sense of nostalgia. Additionally, the Shore Police rap songs gave a fresh feel to an otherwise old storyline. The cinematography is decent, while the artwork and production team successfully maintained the timeline of the 2000s. Vasanth Maringanti’s story includes several relatable points. In particular, the satire on serial addiction and how serials are unnecessarily dragged out landed well with the audience.
Analysis: It’s not easy to narrate a story that everyone can connect with and present it in a way that appeals to all. “Subham” is one such story. Every member of the household, especially those who were glued to TV serials before the rise of OTT platforms, will strongly relate to this tale. For today’s Gen Z audience, connecting with this film might be a bit challenging.
Director Praveen Kandregula’s storytelling approach is engaging. Though the first half feels a bit stretched for the sake of the interval bang, the way he handled the second half, especially the concept of feminism without crossing any boundaries, stands as a testament to his directorial talent. The way he dealt with the conclusion of the TV serial in the climax is also very heartfelt.
Introducing the “Praveen Kandregula Cinematic Universe (PKC)” and cleverly incorporating the Cinema Bandi team into the story is particularly appealing. Overall, with this second film, Praveen has scored yet another success as a director. Wrapping up the story in 125 minutes was a wise decision by the makers. However, there are a few stumbles in the narration. At certain points, the film feels slightly stretched. That said, the treatment is undoubtedly engaging.
Verdict: Overall, Samantha scores a solid success with her debut production, and director Praveen successfully avoids the “second film syndrome.” If the team had written a few more impactful scenes instead of dragging certain situations, this could have been a blockbuster hit.
Bottom Line: Passable comedy
Rating : 2.5/5
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