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Panchatantram Review

By:  Tupaki Desk   |   9 Dec 2022 1:24 PM GMT
Panchatantram Review
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'Panchatantram' Movie Review



Cast: Brahmanandam, Swathi Reddy, Samuthirakani, Rahul Vijay, Shivatmika Rajasekhar, Naresh Agasthya, Divya Sripada, Vikas, Adarsh Balakrishna, Uttej and others

Music: Shravan Bharadwaj – Prasanth Vihari

Cinematography: Raj K Nalli

Producer: Akhilesh Vardhan – Srujan Yerrabolu

Writer - Director: Harsha Pulipaka



A lot of anthology movies have arrived in Telugu lately. The latest addition to this list is 'Panchatantram'. With some interesting promos, the makers managed to grab the attention of the viewers. The movie has released today and let us dive into the review straightaway.


Story:


Retired employee Veda Vyas Murthy (Brahmanandam) decides to prove himself as a writer at the age of sixty. He goes to a storytelling competition and narrates five stories in front of everybody. He tells the stories of a frustrated software engineer who is dissatisfied with his job, a youngster waiting for his right match, a middle-aged man who is suffering from a mental issue, a couple who are waiting for their first born and a storyteller. What is the meaning of these stories? Did Veda Vyas win the first palace in the competition? These questions will be answered in the movie.


Analysis:


After the OTT platforms became very popular, filmmakers have started making anthologies. The streaming networks give a lot of time for the writers and directors to explore each and every story in the form of series because there is no time constraint. They can explore minute details and the audience can connect to one story if not the other. They will love the movie or series on OTT platforms. But the situation is quite different in theatres as not many anthologies ended up as commercial hits in Tollywood. People who come to theatres expect good narration, drama and entertainment. Anthologies that impress the audience with all the ingredients are very hard to find. 'Panchatantram' is partly successful in that aspect. But all five stories did not impress the audience. The emotions worked out well in two stories and they touch your heart. One story provides good entertainment but the rest of the two stories may not connect with the audience. Narrating the story with relation to the five senses like speech, smell, touch, hearing and taste is quite interesting. But it is tough to explain the motive of the director and what he plans to narrate with this anthology at the end. The lack of clarity and closure in some stories along with the snail pace narration worked against the film. But this film is definitely a good attempt.



This collection of five stories hits a roadblock right at the beginning. The story revolving around Naresh Agastya's character does not create any kind of interest. One fails to understand what the director wanted to say through this thread. It is tough to connect with Samuthirakani's storyline. Though the National Award winning actor's performance is brilliant as the middle aged man suffering with a mental issue, the story may not connect well with the audience. It is where the interval point arrives. Many expect anthologies to start all the stories at the beginning and give intermission at a big conflict point in all the stories. But the director decided to reveal one story after another. Due to this, the audience get bored a lot. The young pair's love story is quite entertaining. It is the story of a guy who wants a girl with a lot of clarity in life. The conversations between the couple reflect the minds of youth in recent times and it is quite pleasant. The last two stories have been narrated in a very heart touching manner. One story involves a couple going through pregnancy and the complications in it. This makes the audience connect with the story instantly. He did not rely on melodrama and brought out good emotions from this thread. The two stories post interval changes your mood completely. We get impressed by the director's work at the end but the slow narration works against the film. Had the narration been quicker and the meaning of the story is given in a clear manner, 'Panchatantram' would have been quite special. Films like these needs a lot of patience and people who like 'Slice Of Life' dramas will love this film.


Performances:


Legendary actor Brahmanandam is care of address for comedy but he played a serious role in 'Panchatrantram'. He acted in a very matured way as the storyteller. Despite the less screentime, everyone can relate with his character. Naresh Agasthya looks good on the screen but he had nothing to do in terms of acting. Rahul Vijay and Shivatmika did a very good job in the second story, Samuthirakani showcased his experience and expertise once again in the third story. Vikas and Divya Sripada did a wonderful job and the emotions they portrayed were superb. Swathi showed her uniqueness in the last story. Uttej gave a very natural performance while Adarsh Balakrishna is okay.


Technicians :


'Panchatantram' has a good technical quality. The bit songs and background scores given by Shravan Bharadwaj and Prasanth Vihari have a lot of feel. Raj K Nalli's camera work is quite good. Production values are adequate. They should be appreciated for supporting such a movie.



Director and writer Harsha Pulipaka showcased his talent in this movie. His brilliance can be seen in the way he brought out emotions. His dialogues are quite classy and meaningful. But his narration is quite slow and had the film been quicker, it would have convinced the audience even better.


Verdict: Slow Narration For Soulful Stories


Rating: 2.5/5