Introduction:
Hi All, Today’s LET, which is a special feature, looks at the Telugu thriller ‘Simbaa’ directed by Murali Manohar Reddy where the genre is a crossover between crime, environmentalism and black comedy. It is an episodic story focusing on several characters whose destinies seem to be linked by some or other acts of violence related to a major company. The plot of Simbaa which is provoked by the art of the narrative braiding, as well as by the Ship of Theseus paradox, tries to argue the questions of identity, moral standards and consequences of everyone’s actions.
Release Date:
“Simbaa” was available in movie theatres on August 9, 2024. Though most parts of the film are in Telugu, there will be subtitles in other various languages and is expected to have subtitles in various languages,
Crew:
| Role | Person(s) |
|---|---|
| Director | Murali Manohar |
| Producer | Sampath Nandi, Dasari Rajender Reddy |
| Music Director | Krishna Saurabh, Surampalli |
| Story Writer | Sampath Nandi |
| Screenplay | Sampath Nandi |
| Editor | Tammiraju |
Cast:
| Actor/Actress | Character Name |
|---|---|
| Anasuya Bharadwaj | Akshika |
| Jagapathi Babu | T. Purushottam Reddy |
| Anish Kuruvilla | Dr. Irani |
| Vasishta N. Simha | Anurag |
| Srinath Maganti | Fazil |
Story:
The plot of this movie is based on a school teacher and a woman named Akshika – the patient character portrayed by talented Anasuya Bharadwaj gets into the story and stabs a stranger with a blind stab. The Waliullahs and Faasil, an investigative journalist Srinath and Dr Irani, a psychiatrist who is also grieving in this world of darkness and violence follow it in the plot. It explores their reasons and the sins that unite them and then shows how the events of the present emerged from those of the past.
Review:
‘Simbaa’ is one charming concept where the director gets a chance to use the motifs of environment coupled with the crime thriller prefix. However, what was, at first sight, an interesting and provocative idea is spoiled here by their slow and unsteady tempo and one-dimensional protagonists. For all its virtuosic patches, it seems to have moments of ‘cruising’ toward camp and away from its moral grounds.
Positives:
- Interesting Concept: Cellular memory featured in the movie serves a good theme that is supported by the movie’s environmental conservation theme.
- Strong Lead Performance: Ravi’s beautiful wife Anasuya Bharadwaj as the character Akshika did reasonably fine and delivered all the emotions of the character right.
- Engaging Themes: One can also get insight from some of the critical lessons, there is for instance the element of corporate greed, portrayed in the film.
Negatives:
- Pacing Issues: There are also issues of pacing with the movie for most of the first half of the movie there are scenes that seem to be stretched more than is necessary and a few scenes that could have used the addition of tension.
- Predictable Plot Points: Similar to other episodes of shown narrative genres often major developments will be too conventional or cliché which may cause predictability.
- Underdeveloped Supporting Characters: However, in the case of Teledrama, Akshika was portrayed as a fully developed character it was only partially appealing; because of this most of the other characters are not very well-developed; which might look a handicap to the viewers.
Technical Aspects:
- Direction: It is clear that the direction by Murali Manohar Reddy has some identifiable purpose, but never quite achieves this purpose; the film is frequently disjointed and episodic.
- Cinematography: The cinematography is good for the mood and feel of the film however, sometimes doesn’t work because the movie did not provide enough finances for it.
- Editing: That is well-said editing should have been finer, especially in some scenes which almost replicate events with little extra value for the plot.
Performance:
Akshika has been played by Anasuya Bharadwaj and she is the only asset in the film. While the former drivers have the potential to some extent, the characters of Faasil, played by Srinath Maganti and Dr Irani by Anish Kuruvilla lack strong character journeys respectively. A career artist Jagapathi Babu convincingly plays an environmental activist, in parts he looks powerless due to the hackneyed lines given to him.
Moviepoptime Review:
A well-executed example of that sub-genre of drug addict films where the protagonist is seen communicating with animals, particularly dogs and even making a friend amongst the aforementioned animals. Pregmi does a good job at portraying this character and I think this is the only film in which he has gotten slightly better than the films of his brother. Just the presence of a drug and its effect on the main character is the plot of the whole movie. Despite having some interesting moments in the movie there are conditions that if met the film might have been produced way better. Nothing stands out, everything gets lost in the distance in the end.
Conclusion:
The movie “Simbaa” is just an average thriller that lacks the capabilities to depict what was depicted in the first part of this movie. From the film’s point of view, it has some interesting topics and astonishing acting – and probably the most beautiful woman alive, Anasuya Bharadwaj. But unfortunately, it has a mediocre pace and an unimaginative script. In sum, its communicative value is in providing emerging themes of the environment associated with crime drama. As far as the public is interested in a combination of action and political turmoil, there’s still some fun at “Simbaa,” however, the film does not become such an outstanding thriller.
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