Review : Hidimbha – Has its moments

Hidimbha, starring Ashwin Babu and Nandita Sweta in the lead roles, has created a good buzz with its intriguing trailer. It is an action thriller directed by Aneel Kanneganti. We have been to the special premiere, and let’s see how the movie is.

Story:

Several women go missing in the city of Hyderabad. The case becomes a pain in the neck for the police department. Special officer Aadya (Nandita Sweta) is given the responsibility to nab the criminal, and ACP Abhay (Ashwin Babu) is also made part of the investigation team. What happened to the missing women? Why is the criminal targeting just women? Did Aadya and Abhay solve the kidnap mystery? – this forms the crux of the story.

Plus Points:

The second hour holds the key as this is where the film enters the main plot. Things become interesting once the flashback portions start, and the way a crucial backstory is narrated is good. Though the narrative style looks a bit similar to Karthi’s Khakee in the flashback scenes, it still holds one’s attention thanks to the captivating visuals.

The main twist which comes in the pre-climax is decent. Ashwin Babu shines in an action avatar. The actor did a pretty good job in Hidimbha, and his intense hard work to look fit for the cop role is appreciable. Nandita Sweta gets a meaty role, and the actress does well. Her character is essential to the film’s story and is not restricted to songs merely.

Makarand Deshpande does a superb job in the negative role. His role is pretty well written, and the entire second half revolves around him. The way he looks and exhibits wickedness is one of the biggest strengths of the film.

Minus Points:

While the film’s backdrop is interesting, the way the characters and situations are established is not impressive. The director gets things wrong in the first hour, as the scenes fail to create any interest. The investigative angle lacks excitement and is cliched. The scenes are bland and routine here. It is only from the pre-interval that things start falling into place.

While the flashback portions are intriguing, and the twist is decent, there should have been more detailing regarding the antagonist’s character. A few things about the antagonist should have been explained in detail. These minor aspects can make a huge difference, and the makers should have put in a lot more effort on this front.

Logics go for a toss in several instances, and the way the investigative scenes are conceived looks silly at times. The movie has an extreme amount of violence and gore, making it tough for family audiences to watch.

Technical Aspects:

The background score by Vikas Badisa lends a touch of intrigue. The cinematography by B. Rajasekhar is top-notch. All the flashback scenes and the Khalabanda action sequence look solid on screen due to the eye-catching visuals. The editing is below par in the first half and is good in the latter half. The production values are exemplary.

Coming to the director, Aneel Kanneganti did an okay job with the narration. But the director deserves special applause for delivering a technically superior product despite the budget constraints. Hidimbha indicates that Aneel Kanneganti can do wonders if he is given more budget. The film’s concept is very exciting, but it takes forever to enter the main plot as the first hour is filled with routine investigation scenes. Hidimbha could have been a superb thriller had the first half been exciting. Also, the film raises many doubts due to a lack of clarity regarding a few aspects, forcing one to assume things. The message conveyed at the end is good.

Verdict:

On the whole, Hidimbha is an action thriller that offers a few thrills. The backdrop is interesting, but that has been marred by a dull narration in the first half. The movie gathers momentum only from the pre-interval portions, and the second hour has some engaging moments. Logics go for a toss in many instances, which bogs down the impact considerably. Also, the film has intense violence, and it can’t please all sections of the audience. Hence Hidimbha ends up being an okay watch this weekend.

123telugu.com Rating: 2.75/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

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