With its focus on the Clues team, “Atharva” is the newest criminal investigation drama to dominate the Telugu box office amid the recent wave of suspense and crime thriller releases. Karthik Raju, Simran Chaudhary, and Ayraa Jain play the main characters in Mahesh Reddy’s film. The film is produced by Subhash Nutalapati under Peggo Entertainments. The premieres, which are slated to debut on December 1, have already sparked a lot of discussion.
PLOT
The narrative centres on Karna (Karthik Raju), a budding detective who has a love for cracking cases involving homicides. His asthma makes it difficult for him to pursue his goals of becoming a police officer. Motivated by his buddies, he applies for a job as a detective on the Clues team, where his quick thinking helps him solve a theft case. Karna finds it difficult to convey his emotions when his crime reporter friend Nitya (Simran Choudhary), a friend from college, confronts him. The terrible gunshot deaths of Nitya’s boyfriend Shiva and friend Joshni (Ayraa) throw the storyline for a loop. Shiva is quickly determined to be the offender by the police, who then close the case for lack of proof. Nitya, unimpressed, exhorts Karna to find out the truth. The movie delves into Joshni and Shiva’s pasts, revealing the truth about the murder.
ANALYSIS
Mahesh Reddy’s directorial “Atharva” skillfully traverses the narrative of a criminal investigation while setting itself apart by highlighting the detective work of a Clues team officer in the lack of traditional leads. “Atharva” skillfully keeps viewers interested even after multiple viewings, other crime suspense thrillers frequently lose their appeal. The movie manages to maintain its momentum in spite of its fundamental shortcomings.
The first half moves at a slow pace as it establishes the robbery case as the focal point of the story and builds suspense. Before the intermission, the murder of the heroine Joshni introduces a gripping twist that increases general spectator curiosity. Less explicitness in the narrative choices made by director Mahesh Reddy in certain instances would be beneficial. “Atharva” presents elements such as protagonist Karna using Sodium Pentothal on a suspect, which results in his superior Sarah Varghese (Kalpika Ganesh) coming up with a dubious solution. For a crime thriller, this dynamic goes too far into the theatrical. The story also dives into a really preachy chapter about the extraction of shell gas, which throws off the general flow.
Even though the second half starts off slow, the movie picks up speed towards the end, especially during the pre-climax and climax scenes. The screenplay keeps things moving quickly while introducing surprising turns. As the story successfully combines previously seen aspects in the closing scenes, it creates suspense for the next “Atharva 2.” Positive feedback is left on the audience by director Mahesh Reddy, which is similar to the response to Viswak Sen’s “Hit: The First Case.”
TECHNICALITIES
“Atharva” produces excellent outcomes. The first half’s KCPD song is entertaining, and Charan Madhavanei’s photography skillfully conveys the tone of the movie. Although Sri Charan Pakala’s songs are enjoyable, the background score is what really sticks out. The second half of the film is especially notable for the editor’s precise and clean cuts, which add to the overall impact of the picture.
PERFORMANCES
The way that Karthik Raju portrays a Clues team investigator deftly handles a range of emotions creates a memorable impression. Simran Chaudhary’s skill is not fully utilised, but Ayra’s portrayal of Joshni, the movie star, is excellent. The ensemble of supporting actors keeps up a respectable presence.
Conclusion
Despite its flaws, Atharva starts off good and gains momentum from a fast-paced narrative and an unexpected climax. Despite a few over-the-top scenes, the movie does well overall.
RATING: 2.75/5
