adbhutam movie review and rating

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Adbhutham Movie Review: This Sci-Fi Film Lives Up To Its Title

Director : Mallik Ram Cast: Teja Sajja, Shivani Rajashekhar Language : Telugu 

Spoilers Ahead

Often, how someone reacts to a film says more about that person's tastes and expectations than the film itself. This applies more so to my review of Adbhutham . 

About thirty minutes into the film,  when the 'twists' start rolling my jaw nearly fell. If that feels like an exaggeration be prepared for a few more. It was a fresh twist leading up to the moment and there were few clues lined up along the way too. When I noticed them, I thought they were careless production errors but I was terribly wrong. It was all deliberate. Right till the end, I was glued to my TV screen as I watched the film till 2:30 in the morning. 

Adbhutham , a sci-fi rom-com, is about Surya (Teja Sajja) and Vennela (Shivani Rajashekhar) who find themselves communicating with each other despite having the same mobile number. It's about how these two people solve this technical issue and a romance that brews despite being in two different places in life.

The film begins on a magical, Shakespearean note. There is thunder and lightning and magenta coloured clouds foreboding the perilous times to come. It's also a signal that what's about to follow is going to be in a magical space and we have to take a few leaps of faith with the film. The film's protagonists on the other hand struggle to take a few leaps of their own too.

Adbhutham then proceeds to weave the genres of sci-fi and rom-com till the end and it aces the balance in its attempts. The Telugu rom-com beats and tributes are all present, added with a mix of the unbelievability of Serendipity and the ignorance of the protagonists in Premalekha . The meet-cute, the separation of young lovers, the love-hate-love relationship, the hero drinking excessively, the heroine being pressured into a wedding alliance and the climax too. Even the 'friend' characters who serve as hero- ki friend tropes are present. Satya perfects the character of Prasad and gives us a whiff of what Sunil brought to the films in the 2000s, a decade where he perfected such roles. If you judge it just based on the rom-com angle then this might have been a predictable film. 

It's the sci-fi angle that cements the film as one of the best entertainers of the year. It's not art like Predestination , which Adbhutham clearly is influenced by, but it's a fantastic fusion with all the masala expected of a Telugu film.

The film works as a rare tribute to all the great sci-fi works in both Telugu cinema and Hollywood. A clock tower reference to Manam , a reference to Aditya 369 in the climactic portions, and I think even the psychological thriller aspects of 1- Nenokkadine — Telugu cinema's biggest 'if-only-it-was-a-hit' movie. Other than Predestination , there are elements of Back to the Future , Michael Crichton's Timeline etc.

It isn't just that the film 'respects' the audience and the story it's trying to tell. The team has done their homework with getting its setting right. Every time the rom-com part of the film needs a bang, the sci-fi turns up like a knight in shining armour. And every time there is a scent of the sci-fi being overbearing the rom-com and drama ground the film.

The story directed by Mallik Ram is written by Prasanth Varma, whose other works include the impressive Awe and Zombie Reddy . Lakshmi Bhupala is credited with screenplay and dialogues. The trio has done a splendid job particularly in pacing the film. 140 minutes is a long duration for a modern rom-com but barring a cliched song sequence in the second half, the film never tests your patience. The closest they come is the falling in love portions in the early second half of the film where they play a less believable and more mainstream love story. Throughout the rest of the film the trio are complemented by the camera work and editing of Vidyasagar Chinta and Garry Bh respectively.

Last week I noted that writer-director Damodara struggled with songs in Pushpaka Vimanam and here too the director struggles to use them to lift sequences. Maybe the modern crop of filmmakers wants to do away with songs completely but are afraid of the rejection from audience and actors. Or maybe there is a more creative solution coming along the way.

Only time will tell.

A grouse I have with this film is the need to name the protagonists Surya and Vennela falling in line with Telugu cinema's tradition of naming its protagonists in a way so that it's rubbed in that they are a couple made for each other (or not). Some other versions of such name pairs are Ram-Janaki, Bhoomi-Akash, Bhoomi-Sagar etc. Other films might need spoon-feeding but this film which expects its audience to understand solar flares and fast radio bursts didn't need this.

In terms of acting, it's Shivani Rajashekhar who makes a stupendous debut. Telugu cinema has long been waiting for a female actor who can dub for herself, act and also pull off the 'heroine' bits. She gets the right mix of 'bubbly', rebellious, lovestruck and comedy. Even her emotional beats are top notch without jumping into the 'too much of glycerin went into the making of the film' territory. Of course, the compactness of the script helps but for the first time, in a long time, the female lead helps the script in equal measure. Teja Sajja is great as Surya but he struggles in the flashback portions where he has to play a younger version of himself. It's odd to see a young actor struggle to play young but where the film requires him to be vulnerable, he is good. I was more impressed by the believable 'chemistry' between the lead actors given the situation they find themselves in. The pair do look headed for more mainstream outings but one can hope that they don't forget to experiment with such roles in the future. Along with Satya, actors who I have a soft spot for such as Shivaji Raja, Radio Mirchi Kiran, and Devi Prasad are impressive in roles that are meaty but have limited screen time.

Till now it felt like Telugu films had begrudgingly accepted the OTT revolution happening to cinema like children denied candy settling for broccoli. There's an air of 'we wanted this to be seen only on a big screen' or 'this is not the same without the frenzy of fans in an auditorium'. Adbhutham is the first Telugu cinema, which because of the way it respects its global influences while keeping the formulae intact, works terrifically on OTT and would have been equally magical on the big screen. Hopefully this is not the last.

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When Surya and Vennela are about to end their lives, a miracle connects these two strangers. They happen to have the same phone numbers, but can't meet. When Surya and Vennela are about to end their lives, a miracle connects these two strangers. They happen to have the same phone numbers, but can't meet. When Surya and Vennela are about to end their lives, a miracle connects these two strangers. They happen to have the same phone numbers, but can't meet.

• Prasanth Varma
• Lakshmi Bhupala
• Shivani Rajashekar
• Devi Prasad
• 63 User reviews
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A must watch for sci-fic lovers.

• kothojubhaskarachary
• Nov 18, 2021
• How long is Adbhutham? Powered by Alexa
• November 19, 2021 (India)
• Stream Adbhutham officially on Hotstar Singapore
• Watch Adbhutham on Disney+ Hotstar
• Mahaateja Creations
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• Runtime 2 hours 21 minutes

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Release Date : November 19,2021

123telugu.com Rating : 2.75/5

Starring: Teja Sajja, Shivani Rajashekar, Tulasi

Director: Mallik Ram

Producers: Mandava Sai Kumar, Chandra Shekher Mogulla, Srujan Yarabolu

Music Director: Radhan

Cinematography : Vidyasagar Chinta

Editor: Garry Bh

Continuing the trend of reviewing low-budget films, today’s pick is Adbhutam which has Teja Sajja and Shivani Rajasekhar as the main leads. The film is now streaming on Disney Hot Star and let’s see how it is.

Surya(Teja Sajja) is upset with his life and decides to end it by committing suicide. But at the last minute, he messages his own number saying that no one is responsible for his death. But this message reaches a girl named Vennela(Shivani Rajasekhar) in 2014. Amazed by this, Surya starts talking to Vennela on phone and falls in love with her as time passes by. How will two people in different worlds and time zones meet each other? That forms the story.

Plus Points:

This is Teja Sajja’s debut film but has been released now. He looks handsome in his role of Suriya and gives a sensible performance. In all his scenes with Sivaji Raja, who plays his father, Teja emotes quite well.

Shivani Rajasekhar is also neat in her role. Though she looks a bit naive at the beginning of the film, she does well as the film moves on. She as the homely girl has a decent screen presence and does well. Comedian Satya does a decent job as Suriya’s sidekick.

The first half of the film is decent as the way the main point in the story is established. The urge that the lead pair shows to meet each other has been executed well.

Minus Points:

The film has a decent subject but is spoilt with dull narration. After a decent first half, the film goes down a bit. Instead of revealing the truth behind the phone call connection, the makers drag the film with a boring love story.

Also, there is not much emotional touch in the film as key characters look a bit forced. The manner in which the lead pair react to key situations of connecting from different time zones should have been revealed in a more exciting manner. The film also has the same story and premise as the Telugu movie Playback.

Technical Aspects:

Though the film is made in 2016, it looks fresh and has good production values. Music is decent and so was the BGM. The dialogues are good and so was the production design. The editing could have been better as the film needs to be trimmed at least ten minutes.

Coming to the director Malik Ram, his story is just okay. Though the basic thread is good, the storyline and the way he executed the film were dull. A good scene is marred by a very predictable and over-dramatic situation.

On the whole, Adbhutam has a good premise and decent first half. Teja Sajja and Shivani do well in this film but a slightly dull second half and Deja Vu factor of the story makes this film a passable watch this weekend.

123telugu.com Rating: 2.75/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

Click Here For Telugu Version

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