Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavaada

Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavada Synopsis: Story opens with Arjun (Nikhil Siddhartha) all set to marry his lover Ayesha, who fails to turn up to the register office. 4 years later, Arjun in order to get ‘bhootavaidyam’ done on his friend (Vennela Kishore) makes way to a temple in Kerala for on his insistance, although Arjun doesn’t believe in the supernatural. Arjun chances upon Amala (Hebah Patel) when he stays there and falls in love with her. When she leaves unannounced he sets out in search of her and finds that she died years ago, and looks nothing like the girl he met. But when he spots Nithya who looks exactly like Amala, she has no recollection of what happened. He is told that Nithya was possessed by a spirit called Amala and was at Kerala to get treated. In a series of twists and turns, Arjun finds out who Amala really is and where his heart lies.

Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavada Movie Review: Right from the opening credits, Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavada leaves you wanting to know more – makes you wait for “what’s next”. And the entire movie carries the same mood. Every time you feel like the narrative is slowing down, a new twist or an advancement keeps you hooked. What was disappointing however, was the fact that while the trailer played up the mystic angle of the movie so much, the movie itself didn’t have much to offer to those looking for a supernatural fix. A little backstory on the process of the vaidyulu, and the ‘well of souls’ (a pool of water where souls captured in lamps were dumped) would have fed the audience’s intrigue. The love story on the other hand was well-taken care of. For the most part, characterisations, the story-arch and the logic were in place with this one.

Despite a barrage of twists, which towards the end get predictable, tiring and sometimes unnecessary, Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavada sticks to the plot. It also deviates into some forced comedy sequences - the run-off-the-mill jokes could have been done away with nottomention the Pawan Kalyan references. But an effort was clearly made to keep them relevant to the ongoing plotline. Adding a few one-liners that refer to the cash crunch was a nice last-minute touch to keep up with the audience’s current mood.

Newbie Nanditha Swetha is to watch-out for. Her act as a woman possessed by a love-struck spirit was appreciable. She managed to find the balance between “crazy-in-love” and “crazy-because-I’m-possessed” quite well. Nikhil was his usual while Hebah Patel's conscious screen presence was a bit of a turn off.

Director Vi Anand seems to have found a way of convincingly presenting the unusual genre of a romantic thriller. An engaging thriller and an enthralling story – Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavada is an honest narrative delivered well.