Release date : November 22, 2018
123telugu.com Rating : 2.25/5
Starring : Aakash kumar, Mishti Chakravarty, Sayaji Shinde, Napoleon
Director : N. Narasimha Rao
Producers : Ashwani Kumar Sahdev
Music Director : Koti
Cinematographer : Ramana
Editor : Kotagari Venkateswara rao
Sarabha has been in the making for the last two years. Starring the evergreen Jayaprada in a crucial role, this film has hit the screens today. Let’s see how the film is.
Story:
The film is set in the village of Singapuram where an evil beast named Chandraksha(Punnet Issar) wants to have all the eternal powers. For this, he needs to perform 18 special pooja’s and give Bali of human beings. This is the time he sets his eyes on Divya(Mishty Chakraborty) and decides to kill her. But in order to do that, he needs to surpass Sarabha(Aakash Kumar and his mother(Jayaprada) with whom he shares a dreaded past. Rest of the story is to how Sarabha and his mother stop the evil beast from getting all his special powers.
Plus Points:
The scale of the film is what impresses you in the beginning as it has a good premise and starts off on a thrilling note. The way the concept is executed during this time looks good and lays a good foundation for the film.
Jayaprada is neat in her elderly role and suits the story completely. It is good to see her on screen after a long time and she has done a pretty good job in her emotional and helpless avatar.
Heroine Mishty Chakraborthy and hero Aakash Kumar do their best to support the film. Even though Nasser’s role looks out of place, he has done a good job in his role. Puneet Issar is good in his villain’s role and does well in the first half.
Minus Points:
Post the first ten minutes, the film takes a beating as silly emotions and over the top scenarios are thrown at us. The chemistry between the lead pair goes for a toss as the romantic track is a massive disturbance.
Also, the film gets over melodramatic many a time as silly fights and supernatural scenes disturb the film. What goes wrong is when everything is narrated on a high pitch and this can get on to your nerves after a while. The overaction of the actors and the manner in which they perform in the second half is irritating.
The climax has been stretched to another level and just for the sake of making it grand, so many special effects and supernatural elements have been added which become bland and end the film on a boring note.
Technical Aspects:
Production values of the film are top notch and this is where the film looks bearable in spite of a loud narration. The VFX work and production design need a special mention as the visuals shows are impressive untill the climax. Background score by Koti is good in the first half but becomes unbearable during the last fifteen minutes. Dialogues are good and the camerawork which showcases the evil atmosphere and devil’s hideout is really good.
Coming to the director Narasimha Rao, his story idea is good and he also starts the film on an impressive note. The film has a roller coaster kind of a feel as things get interesting many a time but overdose of loud moments keep bringing the film down. Had the director underplayed the narration and only used the elevations at necessary times, the effect would have been even better.
Verdict:
On the whole, Sarabha is a loud and melodramatic supernatural thriller which is spoilt by uneven narration and over the top emotions. Visuals wise, the film looks good and has decent VFX but the manner in which the proceedings are executed with unnecessary hype take the film down in no time. Except for a strict few thrills, in the beginning, this film has nothing interesting to offer and can be easily avoided this week.
123telugu.com Rating : 2.25/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team