Virupaksha

Story: Surya (Sai Dharam Tej) heads to Rudravanam, his mother’s village, and instantly falls for Nandini (Samyuktha). But beyond the utopia, the village seems to hold a dark secret.

Review: Karthik Varma Dandu (with a screenplay penned by Sukumar) pulls off an effective horror film with Virupaksha. Right from the get-go he makes it clear that this will be a hard tale to sit through if you’re squeamish, thanks to ample gore. While there are portions of the film that you wish would’ve been tighter, there’s no denying that the director delivers.

It’s the 1990s. But some people are still reliant on ancient text to know right from wrong, leading to superstition with fatal consequences. Surya (Sai Dharam Tej) has returned to his mother’s village Rudravanam which is gearing up for a Modamamba Thalli jatara. The village sarpanch Harischandra Prasad (Rajeev Kanakala) and the rest of the village are busy with the preparations for it. When Surya meets the sarpanch’s daughter Nandini (Samyuktha), he falls for her hard. Even as these two and another couple in the village seem embroiled in romance, the past seems to come knocking. A chain of events leads to multiple deaths and Surya strives to find the root cause of it all.

Virupaksha starts off well. We’re shown how in the 1970s certain heinous decisions are made from a place of fear and superstition. But everything seems safe and sound in the 1990s. Surya and his mother spend quality time with his cousin (Syamala) and other villagers. The film’s first half is quite racy except for when it takes a breather from death to focus on the romance. The dialogues make it sound more emotional than it is. It makes you impatient but it has a pay off.

The second half of the film takes a turn. And while the film shines when it focuses on the story at hand, some of the portions might seem draggy. But if you’re paying close attention, you’ll notice that the film was peppering clues all along for you to join the dots. Could the climax have been better? Sure. But without shoving explanations down your throat, everything just suddenly seems to make sense.

Virupaksha is a well-crafted film – the kind that makes you look at the characters beyond the actors because the film has a suffocating atmosphere that’ll draw you in. The kind that makes you flinch but not want to look away at the same time. And it’s the crew that’s to be thanked for that. The sound design is stellar, so is the background score by Ajaneesh Loknath, it truly sets the mood for most of the scenes. The cinematography by Shamdat is also quite good, so is Kartik’s direction. The best part is that, while the film has jump scares, it doesn't rely on just that to keep you engaged.

Sai Dharam Tej gets a role that requires him to be laidback for the most part and he pulls it off well, even when he's thrown bang in the middle of something big. Samyuktha gets a character that gives her the scope to perform and she does it well. Actors like Sai Chand, Brahmaji, Ajay, Rajeev Kanakala and Syamala pull off their roles quite effectively and while Sunil does the same, his character seem inconsistent and unnecessary in the grand scheme of things.

There’s a thin line between promoting superstition and narrating a story of people drowning in superstition. There might be moments in Virupaksha that’ll make you question if the makers are toeing that line. But for most of the film you’re engrossed enough to give in to the vision – and that’s a win.