Karmakhya, a thriller directed by popular comedian Abhinaya Krishna, generated decent curiosity with its intriguing trailer and promised a mix of mystery and suspense. Featuring Samaira, Sharanya Pradeep, Abhirami, Samuthirakani, Anand, Vaishnav, and Dhanraj in key roles, the movie is backed by producers Vaddepalli Sri Vani Nath and Yashwanth Raju. With music composed by and cinematography by Kushender Ramesh Reddy, Karmakhya has hit the screens today. Read our review here.
Story:
For an insurance-related task, Samaira visits a house in Visakhapatnam on behalf of her friend Pravallika (Sharanya Pradeep). However, she soon finds herself trapped inside the house, which is occupied by Sarojini (Abhirami), Prabhakar (Anand), and their mentally unstable son Sathvik (Vaishnav). A corrupt cop, Tirupati (Samuthirakani), enters the picture, and all of a sudden, hidden secrets begin to unfold. Why is the girl trapped? What is Pravallika’s connection to the family? And what is the whole mystery? The answers form the crux of Karmakhya.
What about on-screen performances?
Abhirami delivers one of the film’s biggest surprises and takes on a character with dark shades and handles the role with remarkable ease. Her performance is impressive throughout, and the twist surrounding her character in the first half works effectively.
Sharanya Pradeep is another major highlight. Known for portraying soft and relatable girl-next-door characters, she showcases a completely different side of her acting abilities in this film.
For debutante Samaira, Karmakhya serves as a decent introduction. She fits the role perfectly and delivers a natural, restrained performance that works well for the story.
Samuthirakani is dependable as always and makes his presence felt in a crucial role. His character does not do much in the first half but becomes important towards the climax, adding more depth.
Among the supporting cast, Madhunandan, Anand, Vaishnav, and Dhanraj perform their respective roles convincingly and do what is expected of them.
What about off-screen talents?
When compared to his debut film as a director, Abhinaya Krishna blends comedy and suspense in a passable manner. One of the film’s strengths is the way he reveals the twists at the right moments.
The production values of Karmakhya are just about okay. Music director Gnani deserves special mention for his work. While the songs are below par, it is his background score that elevates the thriller elements.
The cinematography by Eshwar Penti is impressive and captures the film’s mood effectively. The visuals complement the dark and mysterious tone of the story. Editor Sri Varaprasad’s work is just okay, as a few repeated scenes should have been trimmed.
The screenplay is routine and nothing great. But one should understand that for the film to grip the audience, there should have been scenes that stand out.
An actor like Samuthirakani is wasted in the film as his character is underwhelming. A firmer grip on his role would have made matters a lot better.
The first half has a lot of issues as the director takes forever to come to the major conflict point. Had he induced drama earlier, things would have made a lot of sense.
The second half is where the real action is, but to enjoy that, one has to sit through the lethargic first half, which has a lot of predictable scenes that do not connect much.
Though the climax is handled well, one also gets a feeling that more drama would have made a lot of difference. The scenes are rushed, and the film ends in a jiffy.
What’s Good?
Abhirami’s performance
Twists and turns
What’s Bad?
Slow first half
Repeated scenes
Lack of depth in drama
Verdict:
Overall, Karmakhya is a decent attempt from Abhinaya Krishna. He holds the film with decent twists, but the rest of the narrative is a bit routine and drags in a few scenes, making this film a strictly okay watch.
Telugubulletin Rating 2.5/5
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