'HER - Chapter 1' Movie Review
Cast: Ruhani Sharma, Vikas Vashista, Sanjay Swaroop, Pradeep Rudra, Vinod Varma, Jeevan and Ravi Varma and others.
Music: Pavan
Cinematography: Vishnu Besi
Editor: Chanakya Reddy Toorupu
Producer: Raghu Sankuratri and Deepa Sankuratri
Writer - Director: Sreedhar Swaraghav
After impressing everyone with her lovely performance in 'Chi La Sow', Ruhani Sharma is trying to create her own mark in Tollywood. Apart from appearing in a few films like 'HIT', 'Dirty Hari' and others, she did a few projects on OTT platforms as well. She has now arrived as a police officer in the mystery crime drama 'HER – Chapter 1'. The trailer is quite gripping and let us see if the movie turned out to be interesting or not.
Story:
While going after a notorious criminal Keshava, ACP Archana Prasad (Ruhani Sharma) loses her fiancé Sesh (Vikas Vashista). She gets suspended for six months after that. As soon as she returns, she gets assigned to a case involving two murders. The people who get murdered are Vishal and Swathi. Their killings somehow get linked to Keshava. What happens now? Will Archana catch the culprits? Will she get revenge on Keshava? These questions will be answered in the movie.
Analysis:
Murder mysteries and police procedurals have become a common phenomenon in Tollywood over the last few years. We have seen a lot of movies that revolve around a police officer who is trying to solve a crime in recent times. Unlike before, the makers are completely focused on the subject and ignore all other unnecessary elements. The films from the 'HIT' franchise are a huge example of this. The interesting and intense crime solving process has kept the audience engrossed till the end and the third part has been announced already. Ruhani Sharma who was the female lead in the first part of 'HIT' has become the police officer for 'HER – Chapter 1' which follows the same pattern.
Right from the title design to the trailer to the treatment of the subject, 'HER' reminded people of 'HIT'. Just like the first 'HIT' film, the lead character is still seen suffering from a personal loss. They suffer from a lack of peaceful sleep and they have a sidekick who does everything they ask for. Unlike the 'HIT' franchise, 'HER' is not high on the action part. The movie completely focuses on the crime that the officer is trying to solve. The director goes straight into the story without any deviations and the investigation goes on predictable lines. The beginning of the film is quite predictable and the influence of Hollywood films can be clearly seen in the taking. It is not a bad thing but people who are familiar with Hollywood films can guess the behavior patterns of the characters and what kind of joke that is about to be cracked.
The romantic song during the initial stages too acts as a hindrance though is part of the story. The movie constantly goes back and forth as the director chose to narrate the backstory of the heroine in the middle of the investigation. This creates a bit of unrest in the narration during the first half. Also, there are no unexpected turns in the movie though the proceedings run on an interesting note. One would expect some high points in the movie but the movie is quite straightforward on that front. Also, the makers laid a strong foundation for the second part and established the villain role well. But the strong villain role is what went missing in the first part.
The main character does not face any challenges from the criminals. She solves them quite easily and at no part does she gets outwitted by the criminal. She comes up with solutions about everything and the lack of proper conflict in 'HER' proves to be a major issue. The second half is impressive even though there is no grand climax as anyone would expect. On the whole, 'HER' is a decent and engaging murder mystery drama that is enhanced by Ruhani's performance. The similarities to 'HIT' and the dryness in the film which arrived due to lack of touching emotion paired with its predictable nature are its drawbacks. People who like these kinds of films can have a look at it this weekend in theatres.
Performance:
Ruhani Sharma is perfect as the young ACP. She acted in a very mature manner. Her subtle yet impactful performance is a huge plus for the movie. She was firm and conveyed a lot through her eyes. Some may find her expressionless in a few scenes but it is definitely not the case as her restrained action makes the movie even more engaging. Vikas Vashista is decent in his role while Ravi Varma is okay. Actors like Pradeep Rudram Jeevan Kumar and Abhignya did their part and Chitram Sreenu creates a mark with his small role. The rest of the cast is fine.
Technicians:
The background score of this movie worked out pretty well. Some vital scenes in the movie got elevated by the music. Barring one love song which slows down the movie, the story does not have space for songs. But BGM definitely kept the audience hooked. The cinematography is quite good. There are not many dynamic shots in the movie but the close-ups on Ruhani were well picturized. The visuals and their tone suited the mood of the film. The editing is fine even though the film gets a bit stretched at times despite the short runtime. The production values are adequate.
Director Sreedhar did a decent job in dealing with a police procedural drama. He starts off the film on a regular note but makes things interesting as the movie goes forward. Despite being interesting, the movie turns out to be predictable and the heavy influence of Hollywood and 'HIT' movies can be observed. Had the director included more twists and a bit more detailing, the film would have reached even greater heights.
Verdict: 'HER' - Interesting But Not Highly Impressive!
Rating: 2.25/5
Disclaimer : This Review is Just An Opinion of One Person. Please Do Not Judge The Movie Based On This Review And Watch Movie in Theater