Odela 2 Review: Promising Premise Haunted by Lack of Highs

Odela 2, produced by Madhu Creations and Sampath Nandi Teamworks, is out in theatres. Telugu Funda reviews the latest box-office release.

Telugu Funda’s intro to the Plot:

As is obvious, Odela 2 is a sequel. The initial story centered on a cop’s investigation in Odela into the murders of women by serial killer Tirupathi (Vasishta N. Simha) on their nuptial night. The sequel plunges into the aftermath, where the people of Odela resolve to inflict permanent pain upon Tirupathi’s spirit – an arcane punishment designed to condemn it to perpetual torment within his ‘samadhi’. But their desperate attempt to find peace unleashes an even greater terror. Tirupathi’s ghost returns with a vengeance, committing horrific acts of rape and murder. Against this escalating evil stands Bhairavi (Tamannaah Bhatia), a formidable Naga Sadhu. Believing her fight against darkness will be manageable, she is unaware of the spectral killer’s cunning scheme.

Telugu Funda’s take on the Performances:

1. Tamannaah Bhatia: Enters just before the interval. Her performance is average, with her largely struggling to emote fury.
2. Vasishta N. Simha: Good but his one-note characterization leaves him with limited leg room.
3. The cameos: Hebah Patel is there to remind us of her character’s pain. Sharath Lohitashwa plays a foolish cop.
4. Others: Murali Sharma is watchable. The tertiary artists don’t make any impact despite the mood of terror in the village.

Telugu Funda’s take on the Technical Output:

1. Background Score and Songs: Ajaneesh Loknath has the talent. At times, he rehashes his own old scores (from Kantara and Mangalavaaram). The songs are superb. The ‘O Mallanna’ song, with its two versions, is very good.
2. The cinematography: Soundar Rajan S’ photography looks better on the big screen. Don’t go by the medium-range visuals in the film’s trailer.
3. The VFX: Not up to the mark.
4. Overall production values: Average.

Telugu Funda’s take on the Merits:

1. The concept of Samadhi Bandham Siksha forms an exciting premise. This creates some amount of curiosity around the villain’s character.
2. The casting choices may be regular at first but they are justified eventually Srikanth Iyengar (as a priest) and Shafi (as a reporter) are a case in point.
3. The use of the Shiva element is not routine like in most small-range devotional action thrillers.
4. Sampath Nandi’s writing has a spark here and there at least.

Telugu Funda’s take on the Demerits:

1. The film cannot shake off the Arundhati-style narrative around the maniacal antagonist, a ghost that never relents.
2. The scenes involving Tamannaah Bhatia’s pious character sometimes feel like a high-quality docudrama. There is a sense of stagey feel.
3. The lack of a surprise element becomes evident just 5-10 minutes into the second half.
4. The chief antagonist ceases to create fear in the second half, with his modus operandi becoming predictable. The first face off between him and Bhairavi is flat. Kalakeya Prabhakar seems to have dubbed for him, rendering the character somewhat tired.
5. The climax should have been way better. The post-climax scene is not at all clever.

Telugu Funda’s Verdict:

Odela 2 has an inspired premise but its uninspired narrative is a put-off. The film borrows too heavily from familiar tropes.

Rating: 2.25

Follow Telugu Funda on trending Social Media Platforms for more Cinema, OTT, Political, And Sports updates.