‘Adbhutham’ film evaluation: Doesn’t dwell as much as its title

A grandmother’s (performed by Tulasi) reference to Ramayana helps one of many lead characters draw a parallel to a wierd flip of occasions in her life. Later within the story, the grandmother urges her granddaughter Vennela (debutante Shivani Rajasekhar) to not attempt to change future. The mythological reference to underline the divine intervention doesn’t come as a shock, for the reason that story is by Prasanth Varma (director of Awe and Zombie Reddy), who has used it as a plot gadget in his earlier work too.

Adbhutham, directed by Mallik Ram, was speculated to introduce erstwhile little one actor Teja Sajja as a hero. The much-delayed movie now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar has well-known members in its crew — author Lakshmi Bhupala, editor Garry B H, music director Radhan and cinematographer Vidyasagar Chinta — who’ve since gone on to ascertain themselves with different initiatives. Teja, in the meantime, acted in Oh! Child, Zombie Reddy and Ishq.

Adbhutham begins on a science fiction premise after which makes an attempt to be a romance, comedy and household drama rolled into one. The result’s removed from passable. Surya (Teja Sajja) is a failed musician who grapples with private loss and finds no happiness in his job as a newsreader; he decides to finish his life. In a bid to go away a be aware, he sends an sms to his personal quantity, and is shocked when he will get a response. On the different finish is Vennela, who can also be about to finish her life, unable to clear her exams to pursue greater research and never eager to get married on the insistence of her father.

After an alternate of offended, pissed off messages the characters realise that they share the identical cellular quantity and that they each dwell in Hyderabad although they’re 5 years aside — he in 2019 and she or he in 2014. The change in sky color is attributed to photo voltaic flare, and it’s stated that magnetic discipline anomalies have led to 2 individuals talking over the identical quantity, albeit, from totally different time durations.

The distinction begins with the character names — Surya and Vennela — to later exhibiting them going through reverse climate circumstances in Hyderabad and the bond they share with their respective fathers — as if to say that the twain shall by no means meet. However… you by no means know. It is a mainstream Telugu movie the place science fiction is leveraged for some good laughs. Actor Satya’s presence because the hero’s good friend ensures this. In a single sequence, the duo helps Vennela by sourcing a five-year-old query paper. And there’s additionally a dialogue about Satya making an attempt to name his personal quantity to see if he, too, will discover a woman from the previous.

The movie can also be conscious of its predecessors in science fiction and references Singeetam Srinivasda Rao’s Aditya 369 and Vikram Kumar’s 24. The opportunity of a personality from the previous connecting with somebody from the current has additionally been explored in different movies — the 2021 Telugu movie Play Again and the 2006 English movie The Lake Home, which was in flip tailored from the 2000 South Korean movie Il Mare.

After establishing the premise, Adbhutham finds itself on shaky terrain. Whereas Surya’s story of setbacks in his musical journey and his relationship together with his father (Sivaji Raja) is narrated decently sufficient to attract empathy, Vennela’s travails with a suitor don’t evoke the laughs they’re speculated to.

A narrative comparable to this might have benefitted with a tighter screenplay and higher performances. As newcomers, Teja and Shivani have good display screen presence and provide you with cheap performances, however there are occasions it doesn’t really feel ok. The music can also be a letdown; we have now heard significantly better tunes from Radhan.

Because the story progresses, the makes an attempt to race towards time throughout the 2 durations to vary the course of essential occasions get messier. The twists and turns hold coming nevertheless it seems to be a check of persistence. Satya remarks jovially at one level that that is essentially the most difficult, unrealistic and hypothetical love story of the century. That describes the development of this story too.