Dhootha web series review: Director Vikram Kumar, Naga Chaitanya and Parvathy Thiruvothu serve up an intriguing … – The Hindu
When a movie or a sequence that ventures into the paranormal thriller zone doesn’t accept simple highs that come from jumpscares and amped up sound results, and as an alternative depends on its writing, it seems to be rewarding. Dhootha, the Telugu net sequence directed by Vikram Kumar and starring Naga Chaitanya Akkineni, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Priya Bhavani Shankar and others, is on this class. The eight-episode sequence streaming on Amazon Prime Video is intriguing and accords its viewers a certain quantity of respect.
Dhootha, which suggests messenger in Telugu, marks each the director and the lead actor’s first tryst with digital house. Vikram Kumar, who shares the writing credit with a crew, casts Naga Chaitanya Akkineni as an investigative journalist, Sagar. The story begins in late 2022 when Sagar is working in the direction of launching a newspaper. I used to be each satisfied and piqued by the concept of launching a newspaper submit pandemic, a part when conventional print media additionally needed to embrace the digital medium. There’s a cause why this story offers with the printed phrase, which is revealed progressively.
Dhootha takes us into the world of Sagar the place he finds himself caught within the thick of mysterious happenings. A lot of the narrative unfolds in rain-soaked Visakhapatnam and Mikolaj Sygula’s digital camera makes use of moody lighting to good impact, amplifying the gloom that slowly gnaws at Sagar’s very being. Varun Venugopal’s sound design (with out the cliched creaky doorways or home windows) and Rajeevan’s manufacturing design additionally keep in sync with the narrative’s necessities.
The primary two episodes set up the premise and the characters. Sagar’s spouse Priya (Priya Bhavani Shankar) is a journalist on maternity break; to the story’s credit score, it doesn’t relegate her to a one-note character. To disclose extra about what she does can be a spoiler. It’s attention-grabbing that her characterisation doesn’t take the protected, common route in portraying a younger mom who’s anticipating one other youngster.
Dhootha (Telugu net sequence)
Dhootha makes it a degree to point out the completely different sides of the spectrum in journalism and the police drive. DCP Kranti Shenoy (an in-control Parvathy Thiruvothu), whose commentary expertise and data of on a regular basis instruments and supplies propel the investigation, the duty-bound constable Ranga (Chaitanya Garikipati) and the slimy Ajay Ghosh (Ravindra Vijay is pitch excellent) are all a part of the system.
These within the newsroom are additionally as various as they arrive — Amruta (Prachi Desai) as the non-public assistant who adjustments colors to the righteous Chandra Murthy (Nagineedu) who’s contrasted by his son.
The primary signal of eeriness happens on a wet night time in an remoted location. Although this may seem cliched, it really works fantastically due to what occurs in that location. A crossword in a torn piece of a newspaper warns of a fateful occasion. This narrative alternative echoes Vikram’s Tamil movie, Yaavarum Nalam (13B in Hindi), wherein a tv serial contributes to the eeriness.
Dhootha will get mysterious, darker and extra attention-grabbing from the third episode. Naga Chaitanya portrays the a number of shades of Sagar with the required maturity. He has to stay practically inscrutable to his household however fret in concern and nervousness over the hazard that lurks at each nook. Chaitanya is on cue and pulls off a personality that isn’t actually likable because the narrative progresses.
Pasupathy and Tharun Bhascker Dhaassyam are attention-grabbing additions to the story because it begins to probe the previous. Whereas Pasupathy performs his half like a veteran, Tharun Bhascker measures up with surefootedness. There are a number of others who play smaller however essential components — Jeevan Kumar, Tanikella Bharani, Gowtham Krishna, Raghu Kunche, Gnaneswari Kandregula, Rohini and Anish Kuruvilla — and the writing makes use of all these characters to current the massive image of future and karma.
Whereas all of the smaller threads to the story are finally tied up skilfully to offer a number of characters a way of closure, not all the things hits a excessive be aware. It’s robust to debate the closing episode with out freely giving main spoilers, however I want not all character traits needed to do with lineage in its dialogue of the intersection of politics, police and journalism. Nonetheless, that is only a niggle within the total scheme of issues.
Dhootha is a welcome addition to the Telugu digital house that derives its energy from meticulous writing, good performances and an in a position technical crew that delivers.
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