Atharva Review - The Karthik Raju starrer is a dull and boring investigative thriller

2/5

Story

Atharva's(Karthik Raju) only dream is to become a police officer in life. However, due to a medical condition, Karna landed a job in the Telangana Clues and Forensic department. One fine day, a popular actress, who also happens to be Karna's common friend passes away. The cops close the case stating the heroine's boyfriend has killed her. But as Karna digs deep into the case, he finds out that there is someone behind the killing. Ignore by the cops, he starts his investigation and the rest of the story is about how Karna solves the case himself.

Review

Atharva is directed by Mahesh Reddy and is a regular murder mystery. The only difference here is that the director has taken the backdrop of the Forensic department. The rest of the proceedings are the same as in every cop drama. The initial parts of the film are impressive. How Karna lands a job in the Clues team and how he solves a few cases raises curiosity.

But one fails to understand that even though there was no need for a song and dance routine, the makers added two songs in the first half an hour sidetracking the film right away. But once the murder mystery starts, the film starts making sense. A few investigative scenes related to the Forensic department have been showcased well.

But all this, what lacks is the grip on the emotions. The main lead does not have a strong motive to lead the investigation. After a point, the film is filled with predictable scenes and there is nothing novel that Atahrva showcases. Karthik Raju plays the main lead and does an okay job. Though his command in a few cop scenes lacks impact, he does well in the second half.

Also Read: Atharva sneak peek out - Karthik Raju, Kalpika Ganesh investigate a triple-murder case in this single-shot sequence 

Simran Chowdhary plays the female lead and is hardly there in the film. The rest of the supporting cast is also ordinary. The BGM is good and so is the production design. The camerawork showcasing how the cops deal with a murder case in detail is showcased well.

Watch Gadar 2 on OTTplay by subscribing to the Jhakaas pack which provides access to 16 OTTs at just Rs 199/month.

Though the investigation scenes are good, the screenplay goes for a toss. The thrills showcased fail to create an impact. Director Mahesh Reddy has a routine story and shined in the way he takes up the investigative aspect. But once the layers start unfolding, the thrill factor is lost completely and bores the audience.

A few preachy scenes on shell gas extraction, disrupt the overall flow. While the commencement of the second half may appear dull, Atharva holds the attention in the pre-climax and climax sequences. But the mid portions of Atharva are dull and do not create much of an impact.

Verdict

On the whole, Atharva is an investigative thriller that lacks the emotional depth. The thrills are limited and once the twist is revealed, the film becomes predictable making it a boring watch this weekend.

Also Read: Karthik Raju on Atharva - Asked my director for a 10-minute narration, but it went on for 3 hours