ANASUYA REVIEW

Starring:Bhoomika, Abbas, Nikitha, Neha Sarath, Sameer, Harshavardhan, Shankar Melkote, Ankitha, Krishna Mohan, Revathi, Prema, Mallesh and Others.

Action: Kanal Kannan.

Cinematography: N. Sudhakar Reddy.

DTS Mixing: Madhusudan Reddy.

Editing: Marthand K. Venkatesh

Lyrics: Bhaskarabhatla.

Music: Sekhar Chandra.

Screenplay: Paruchuri Brothers.

Producer & Direction: Ravibabu.

Presenter: Suresh Productions.

Banner: Flying Frogs.

Release Date: 21st December, 2007.

Anasuya is the story of a journalist whose life takes a u-turn when a psychopath killer enters her life. The movie has a gripping screenplay with a few minor glitches. It makes an interesting one-time watch, and has focused on being as subtle as possible. It's not the run-of-the-mill story. It is a very 'Indian' storyline and even if the plot and characterization is old news, it's done well and the narrative keeps up the attention levels.

Plot: Anasuya is a journalist majoring in criminal psychology. She is an investigative journalist for a news channel and lives with an acquaintance and a little girl called Lakshmi she saves from being a harassed domestic help. Anand is a task force officer in a team leading the investigation of a murder trail. The murderer kills the victim, takes a random part of their body and leaves a rose next to their body. Tragedy strikes Anasuya when the 'uncle' that she is staying with gets murdered and she spots the killer. She gets involved in the case closely and gets to the bottom of it.

Story, Screenplay and Direction The story is that of an unstable man and once the man is identified, it ceases to be a mystery. After that, holding the viewers attention is difficult. Ravibabu's screenplay does just that. The first half keeps the interest level alive alright and the curiosity is on a high. Instead of pulling in unnecessary subplots, the maker gets straight to the point. The second half is interesting and that saves the movie, because in a movie like this, it's the second half that makes all the difference.To give the director credit, it doesn't have too many shrieks and sounds. The background is not overpowering, and only has the occasional creaking and dark alleys and sudden loud noises. But these are not out-of-place or just to scare or thrill. Except for the fact that the first half has many houses and places kept in dark (why doesn't anyone switch on the lights?).

Bhoomika is an asset to the movie, with a convincing performance and subtlety in her whole aspect. From the beginning, it's a clear-cut murder trail and nothing else.The madness of the man is shown, but not explained-why, how or when is neglected, and just what it is, is shown. There are some very gruesome shots, bodies with parts missing and other such things that don't go well with popcorn.

Glitches: When the body comes out of the concrete mixer in an unrecognizable state, the clothes are intact and the glasses are only slightly broken-but this apparently doesn't rouse the suspicion of the police. The police also never try to establish a motive, and the task force is shown rounding up a place he's suspected to be inside.

Performances Bhoomika is very good, expressive without being over-the-top. There are not many dialogues, and the little kid has fewer still, and has given a convincing performance. Abbas justifies his role, so has Sameer as a jealous newsreader. Ravibabu has done his best yet, stealing the limelight in the second half. Nikitha and her friend, Bhoomika's reporter friend and Shankar Melkote do well in their brief roles.

Music and Dance There is one mandatory item number, which is just okay. Then there's a song that shows the bonding between Bhoomika and the little girl, Lakshmi.

Last Word You know those coincidences that a murder trail must contain to propel the story? Like the protagonist's kin turn out to be victims, the moment she learns where the murderer will head next is when he heads there and other such details? That happens a few times in the second half, and for those who get nausea on seeing the insides of a person might not appreciate some sequences. After all, its about a cold-blooded murderer. But the movie is interesting, the pace is good and the plot is gripping.