C.D (Criminal or Devil) Review - Adah Sharma steals the show in this middling horror thriller

2.5/5

C.D (Criminal or Devil) Story

Siddhu (Viswant) is a young boy who is scared of ghosts. After his parents go out of town, he watches a horror film titled Devil and gets scared to death. This is also the case when a crazy psycho killer named Raksha (Adah Sharma) starts kidnapping girls. One fine day, she lands at Siddhu's house looking for him. Why is Raksha after Siddhu? What is the connection between the two? And who is the one kidnapping the girls? To know the story, one needs to watch the film on the big screen.

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C.D. Criminal or Devil Review

Krishna Annam has directed C.D, which is set in the genres of horror, comedy, and thriller. The story happens in mostly a single location, and due to this, one gets a feeling that the proceedings move on a slow note. The director, Krishna, has penned some interesting scenes that are thrilling. The comedy and horror elements have been handled quite well in the film.

C.D. has several illogical scenes in the first half, but all those are nicely cleared up in the second half. One needs to have patience to enjoy this. One of the biggest highlights of the film is the interval bang. The credit should go to the director for executing the twist in a very gripping manner. 

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The director, Krishna, has a decent grip on the promotions, but the regular usage of comedy scenes in tense situations takes the attention away and makes the proceedings silly. A few scenes related to horror featuring Adah Sharma have been well elevated in the proceedings.

The missing girls' episode is given a nice twist by the end of the film. This part cheers up the proceedings and ends the film on a decent note. The romantic scenes between the lead pair in the second half look decent.

But the disadvantage of the film is the hiccups in the mid-portion. To make things interesting, the makers have added a comedy featuring Rohini, which looks over the top after a while. One of the major pillars of the film is Adah Sharma. The manner in which she single-handedly holds the proceedings together is the best part of the film. Be it as a criminal or a devil, the way she showcased different shades in her role was superb.

Adah Sharm is amazing in the scary scenes. The way she expresses horror through her eyes most of the time is the best part of the film. Adah is improving with each passing film and is superb in C.D. Her action blocks have been showcased superbly in the film. Viswanth also gets a good supporting role and plays his character to the best of his capabilities. The variations he showcased are just amazing in the second half. The actor who played the role of a cop, Bharani, was solid in his role.

C.D. has some endearing performances that hold our attention. RR Dhruvan has composed the music, and his background score is decent and elevates the twists properly. Satish Mutyala's camerawork is one of the biggest highlights. There are not many locations in the film, but the DOP has made sure that he gives the audience new visuals most of the time.

The editing and production design are decent. If director Krishna had been more serious in his approach, the output would have been even better. C.D. has a decent storyline but is told at a slow and steady pace, which is perfect for an OTT watch.

C.D. (Criminal or Devil) Verdict

C.D. (Criminal or Devil) is a film with a unique premise. Adah Sharma holds our attention with her performance, but a few over-the-top moments take away from the seriousness of the subject. All those who love crime dramas can give this film a shot.

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