Anya's Tutorial review: Nivedhithaa Sathish and Regina Cassandra steal the show in this spine-chilling, engaging horror thriller

3/5

Story:

Madhu and Lavanya (a.k.a Anya) are sisters who lead a loveless childhood with a single parent - an indifferent mother. The toxic upbringing has a bearing on how they look at the world around them. Escaping this rotten existence, Anya flees her home and rents a flat in a desolate apartment. What's the price that Anya has to pay in her quest to become a popular social media influencer? Will the siblings ever come to terms with their childhood trauma?

Review:

No horror tale is complete without an element of tragedy, undisclosed pain or an unfulfilled quest. Anya's Tutorial is a story where childhood scars don't let two women lead a life of dignity. The 'horrors' deep inside their heart deprive them of little pleasures and joys in their growing years. As adults, their biggest task isn't about facing the world but confronting their inner demons. And what if it doesn't go as expected? The show piques your attention with a novel, effective premise.   

In an industry where the horror genre has been largely reduced to providing instinctive thrills/highs using jarring sound effects and mindless theatrics, it's refreshing that Anya's Tutorial is built on the foundation of solid drama and fear. Beyond the sibling drama, the show equally succeeds at being a social commentary on the perils of the digital age, teenage anxiety and modern-day parenting. There's enough layering and complexity in the storytelling to draw you into its world.

Though the show may have you questioning Anya's choices - to live in an old, lonely apartment and the absence of a social circle in her life - the director Pallavi Gangireddy unravels her mysteries gradually, tricking viewers with regular (sometimes deceptive) hints. Through Anya's regular panic attacks and moments of anxiety, you realise how she has very little sense of worldly realities.

Anya's world is surrounded by creepy delivery guys, tarot readers, sorcerers, and obsessive social media followers. She's so disturbed that she's not opposed to the idea of finding companionship with supernatural power. The writer Sowmya Sharma utilises the liberty of the long-form storytelling to her advantage to establish these character arcs convincingly. The screen-writing is sharp and precise - it is obvious that this is the work of a team that's very aware of the grammar of digital screen-writing. 

While Anya's Tutorial shows how today's teens are easy preys on social media, it also presents the many challenges of parents in keeping a tab on their wards (without trying to judge them). It offers an authentic insight into the adrenaline rush, and instant gratification that the digital space can give you among your peers and still rupture bonds among your own and also discusses its psychological repercussions. 

Anya's Tutorial isn't merely an attempt to scare you or grip you with tension (which it successfully does) but is focused on telling a good story - horror is just the device it uses to take its idea forward. The 'female gaze' and its attempt to move away from the usual - 'male saviour' and 'female victim' - formula give it a new dimension. Despite the vulnerabilities of its lead characters (Madhu and Lavanya), the writer also showcases their inner strength and the ability in exercising their choices. The show loses its steam briefly in the latter episodes and intentionally leaves a few questions unanswered to unveil them in the second season.

Nivedhithaa Sathish is given all the wings to fly high in an extremely well-rounded role with a solid backstory. The actress wasn't wrong when she told that Anya's Tutorial would be her ideal launchpad in Telugu - the conviction with which she submits to the part is an asset to the show. Regina Cassandra's act as the cold, wild and troubled sister is undoubtedly her career-best. The raw intensity in her performance is a great indicator of her hunger and the desire to push the envelope.

Pramodhini Pammi, Sameer Malla, the child actor Darsh (what a find!), Sai Kamakshi Bhaskarla, and Lavanya make for an assured supporting cast. The show's class comes through in its treatment, the realistic staging of sequences with a slight hint of cinematic liberty, the production design that has a character of its own and Vijay K Chakravarthi's proficiency in enabling the right visual ambience for the sequences to flourish. Arrol Correli's tense score complements the proceedings.

Verdict:

Anya's Tutorial is a refreshing, well-made horror thriller with a novel premise. While it doffs its hat to a few tropes associated with the genre, it still makes enough room to tell a gripping story tackling childhood trauma, social media perils and teenage anxieties. Nivedhithaa Sathish and Regina Cassandra headline the show with assurance while the writer Sowmya Sharma, and director Pallavi Gangireddy deserve praise for pushing the envelope in a genre that desperately needed a revival here.