Odela 2 film assessment: Tamannaah Bhatia can’t salvage this outdated Telugu sequel

Tamannaah Bhatia in ‘Odela 2’
| Photograph Credit score: Particular Association

The 2022 movie Odela Railway Station, directed by Ashok Teja and that includes Vasishta Simha and Hebah Patel, was a rural thriller specializing in sexual crimes in a quiet Telangana village. The narrative adopted a girl’s chilling revenge after discovering that her husband was the perpetrator. With its use of graphic visuals and a voyeuristic lens on violence, the movie, regardless of its disturbing tone, garnered vital viewership on OTT (Aha Telugu). Ashok Teja and author Sampath Nandi reunite for its sequel, Odela 2, led by Tamanaah Bhatia, reimagining the story as a supernatural thriller.

After assembly with a horrific finish by the hands of his spouse, Tirupathi (Vasishta N Simha) returns as a vengeful spirit, undeterred and extra harmful. His spirit manipulates a brand new set of males, reigniting an identical sample of crimes within the village. As chaos escalates, the stage is about for the arrival of Bhairavi (Tamannaah), a legendary drive destined to revive order. A standard good-versus-evil showdown ensues.

The premise echoes quite a few devotional dramas and horror dramas of the Nineteen Nineties and 2000s — from Ammoru to Arundhati — the place divine intervention turns into crucial to redeem a cursed household or area. In all probability buoyed by the success of current Telugu movies similar to Virupaksha and Maa Oori Polimera, the setting is so primitive that Odela is portrayed as a village that believes in superstitions, sorcerers and fakirs than cops. Solely three sorts of individuals appear to exist within the village — saints, demons and victims.

Bhairavi, whereas embodying the wrath of Lord Shiva, appears closely impressed by Balakrishna’s aghora act in Akhanda. She renounces her household early in life to turn into an ascetic, is guarded by a snake, defends sacred cows, and even instructions a gang of miscreants to maintain themselves on cow urine for livelihood. She chides them with warnings similar to khabardaar… khamosh... On the opposite finish, some males talk about sexual assault as revenge, with the gaze on romantic advances of newly wed {couples} at evening, within the guise of portraying the sufferer’s perspective. 

Regardless of its many flaws, Odela Railway Station sustained curiosity with an charisma. Odela 2 doesn’t rating even on that depend. As an alternative, it’s fixated on its mythological undertones and crafts bombastic one-liners for its protagonist, unmindful of its outdated script. In case you are trying to find a silver lining, there’s a gender flip — the saviour is a girl, and the evil spirit is a person.

Publish intermission, the movie morphs right into a religious sermon. Bhairavi seizes each alternative to chant contemporary mantras and ship long-winded monologues concerning the greatness of Shiva. When this part lastly dies down, the narrative shifts to Tirupathi’s pompous, repetitive threats of annihilating the village. The ultimate act — drenched in regressive clichés — may have made an influence had the makers subverted the ever-persistent male gaze.

The writing is generally lazy, loud, and overwrought, whereas the motion leaning closely on gore, laced with uncomfortable, sleazy undertones. Vasishta Simha’s voice lends itself nicely to a no-holds-barred antagonist, however it’s wasted on a flat, one-note character like Tirupathi. It’s disheartening to see Tamannaah’s formidable display screen presence squandered in a movie that misses the mark. Hebah Patel fares no higher, saddled with a job that serves little function in a movie caring solely for its feminine saviour and male demon.

Murali Sharma’s fakir act — seemingly modelled on Sayaji Shinde’s character Anwar from Arundhati — makes no influence. Tv actor Rahul Ravi has his moments, although he’s relegated to an inconsequential function. Sharath Lohitashwa, Yuva, Gagan Vihari and Srikanth Iyengar are forged in forgettable components, and their performances don’t measure up.

Cinematographer Soundararajan tries to make use of jerky digicam actions to good impact in choose sequences, however that can’t salvage the crudeness of the writing and remedy. The in any other case reliable Ajaneesh Loknath delivers a jarring rating, relying closely on loud chants in a determined try and preserve the viewer hooked.

Not like Odela Railway Station, which caught confidently to its crime thriller roots, Odela 2 tries to be a little bit of devotional, action-packed and suspense-filled entertainer, and finally ends up being none of them.