Senior actor Rajendra Prasad acted in a web series titled Harikatha, streaming on Disney + Hotstar. Maggi directed this web series, while popular producer TG Vishwaprasad produced it. Sriram, Divi Vadthya, Pujitha Ponnada, who are doing regular films, also acted in this web series. Suresh Bobbili is the music director. The web series has a mythological touch, and here is the story and how it fares.
STORY
The story takes place in a village near Araku between the 1980s and 90s. A lower-caste boy, Dasu (Suman Jha), was arrested in a murder case and sent to a juvenile home. Rangachari (Rajendra Prasad) is a theater artist who, along with his troupe, stages mythological plays, especially those featuring Lord Vishnu’s avatars, in the village. Whenever he plays an avatar, a murder takes place in the village, in the same manner as Rangachari narrated in his Harikatha. The villagers strongly believe that God has come down to punish the bad men in different avatars. A police officer, Virat (Sriram), came to the village to find the killer of his friend (Arjun Ambati), also a police officer. Virat suspects Rangachari, but when the murder took place, he was performing Harikatha. Actually, who is behind these murders? Why are these people eliminated one after another? What is the story behind these people? If you want to know the answers, watch Harikatha on Disney + Hotstar.
ANALYSIS
In olden days, people used to watch Harikatha in villages. They narrated mythological stories, top leaders’ life histories and many good stories to give a good message to the village people. In this Harikatha web series, the director mixed Harikatha and a murder, which is quite interesting. Whenever Rangachari plays an avatar of Lord Vishnu, a murder happens in the same manner in that village. When he narrates the Varaha avatar, many varahas kill a person; when he narrates the Narasimha avatar, another man is killed by the Narasimha avatar. The director keeps the suspense till the last episode about these murder mysteries, like who is doing it.
Credit goes to director Maggi for coming out with this nice idea, but if he could concentrate more on some characters and the story, it would be more interesting. The director’s focus was mainly on Rajendra Prasad, so he didn’t write strong characterisations for others. For example, the lower-caste mother and child episodes are like overacting, and there is no emotion in it. Similarly, Dasu’s narration of a story lacks strong emotion. Moreover, the director is banking more on violence and gore, which can definitely be reduced. Pujitha Ponnada plays a journalist, but her character is not written properly. Ditto with Sriram and his friend, played by Arjun Ambat’’s characters, which are underwritten.
The director narrated those mythological stories interestingly and the way the murders took place was also shown in a way that gives curiosity. The atmosphere and ambiance are good, but the web series ends with a typical revenge drama without proper emotion.
PERFORMANCE
When it comes to performance, Rajendra Prasad steals the show with his performance. He is a senior artist and carried it in a very natural way. He is good, especially when he plays mythological characters, where he showcases his experience and those scenes come out well. He is the backbone of this web series. Sriram plays another lead and plays his part well, but his character should be strong and more intense. Divi Vadthya is there as a tribal girl. Pujitha Ponnada plays a video journalist. The actress who played Rajendra Prasad’s granddaughter performed well, and also the actor who played Dasu. There are many other actors who supported well. The music by Suresh Bobbili is good. The cinematography by Vijay Ulaganath captured beautiful locations and also the mythological plays.
VERDICT
Finally, the Harikatha web series is a blend of mythological touch in a revenge drama. The way the murders took place in a Dasavathara narrative is interesting, but at the same time, it has more violence and gore. Though there are flaws, the Dasavathara plays give goosebumps and still, you can watch this.
Director: Maggi Producer: TG Vishwaprasad
Cast: Rajendra Prasad, Sriram, Divi Vadthya, Suman Jha,
Pujitha Ponnada, Preeti Nigam and others
Music director: Suresh BobbiliCinematography: Vijay Ulaganath
Streaming on: Disney Plus Hotstar Rating: 3/5
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