Release Date : December 1 , 2022
123telugu.com Rating : 2.75/5
Starring: Naveen Chandra, Madhoo, Achyuth Kumar, Mime Gopi, Smruthi Venkat, Satyam Rajesh, Pooja Ramachandran
Director: Arvindh Srinivasan
Producer: Ramanjaneyulu Javvaji
Music Director: Ghibran
Cinematography: PG Muthaiah
Editor: Arul E Siddharth
Related Links : Trailer
Disney Plus Hotstar has now come up with a mystery thriller, Repeat starring Naveen Chandra and Madhoo in prominent roles. The film is streaming on the platform currently, and let’s see how it is.
Story:
A novelist named Subramanyam (Achyuth Kumar) seeks the help of the police as the characters in his imaginary stories threaten him by coming to life. The police don’t believe in him, but things become shocking when the DGP Asha Pramod’s (Madhoo) daughter gets abducted in the same way the novelist penned the story. The police believe Subramanyam is behind DGP’s daughter missing, but they can’t get the necessary breakthrough. Hence an undercover cop Vikram Kumar (Naveen Chandra) is, handled the job. Did Vikram solve the mystery? Is the DGP’s daughter safe? How come the novelist’s stories turn out to be true? Watch the film to know the answers.
Plus Points:
Naveen Chandra is good as the undercover cop, and he performed the given role with ease. His body language and mannerisms perfectly suit the cop’s role. From his entry, the film picks up the pace, and the actor carries the film on his shoulders throughout.
The second hour of the film is good, with the twists unraveling one by one. The film gets pretty interesting as it nears completion and the final twist is solid. These twists are hard to guess, and the manner in which the dots are connected is nice. The storytelling is taut in this second hour with a fast-paced screenplay.
The comedy in places is decent, which comes according to the situation. Madhoo, as the DGP, is decent in her role. Achyuth Kumar’s natural performance brings a nice depth to the film. Others like Satyam Rajesh, Pooja Ramachandran, Mime Gopi, and Smruthi Venkat are adequate in their respective roles.
Minus Points:
For any thriller to work well, the establishment of the plot is the key, and this is where Repeat didn’t succeed. The film’s basic premise is not established well, and hence the film fails to reach a new level. First, the tense atmosphere and the mystery factor must be created well, and then the film has to take off, giving the answers. In Repeat, the latter part is presented nicely, but the former isn’t.
In addition, the opening sequences lack clarity, and there isn’t a proper connection between the individual scenes. The film’s original version Dejavu shots are used mostly here, and hence we don’t feel the authenticity of watching a Telugu film.
Except for Naveen Chandra’s portions, nothing was reshot, which majorly affected the viewing experience. In addition, there are a few logical errors in the film that should have been taken care of by the writing team. As the director went ahead with the remake, he should have corrected these logical errors in this version to differentiate it from the original.
Technical Aspects:
The background score by Ghibran is good and perfectly suits the mood of a crime thriller. The cinematography by PG Muthaiah is decent. The production values are just about okay. However, the editing work is not so great. Where the film has to be fast-paced, there it isn’t, and when the twists reveal one by one, the proceedings give us a rushed feel.
Coming to the director, Arvindh Srinivasan, he, did an okay job with the film. While the concept looked fine on paper, the execution wasn’t that great, matching the content. Hence the film just remains an okay flick despite having more potential. The director should have designed the first hour in a better way. He succeeds with the second hour, though.
Verdict:
On the whole, Repeat is a passable film with good twists in the second hour. The performances and the twists work well but the problem lies with the below-par first hour and logical errors. Nevertheless, crime thriller lovers can still give it a try this weekend.
123telugu.com Rating: 2.75/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team