Narakasura Review: The Rakshit Atluri starrer is an aimless action drama

2/5

STORY: 

Shiva (Rakshit Atluri) works as a lorry driver at a coffee estate. He treats the local MLA, Nagama Naidu (Charan Raj), as a superior power and is ready to go to any extent to support him. But certain events lead to a tussle between Shiva and Nagama’s son, Aadhi (Tej Charan Raj). Now, will Nagama support his son or Shiva? How does Keshava (Shatru) ) get involved in this drama? To unravel these mysteries, watch the Sebastian Nova Acosta Jr.-directed film on the big screen.

REVIEW: 

The story of Narakasura deals with transgender equality. While the plot looks quite impressive on paper, when it comes to execution, the result is a bit disappointing. The relevance to the transgender community should have had more weightage in the script. If the director had put more emphasis on the story rather than the commercial elements, the output would probably have been a lot better.

Although the premise looks decent, the screenplay is what derails the film time and again. The director does not seem to have a grip on the proceedings, and takes his own sweet time to unleash the actual story. The comedy, songs and fights only bore the audience in the first half. The interval ‘bang’ is decent, giving hope that the story will finally pick up in the second half. But that does not happen.

Even though the plot is now clear, the lack of gripping scenes and arresting dialogues for a subject that deals with the transgender community affects the narrative. There are way too many characters in the film that somewhat dilute the storyline. A talented actor like Nasser is totally wasted in his role.

Rakshit, who had earlier impressed everyone with Palasa, plays the lead in Narakasura. The young actor’s performance has improved a lot. His emotional scenes in the film are quite impressive. Rakshit has a good screen presence. If he works a bit more on his body language, he can be an asset to any film. Sangeerthana Vipin is also good in her role.

Also Read: I have given my blood and soul for Narakasura, says Rakshit Atluri 

The female lead is played by Aparna Janardhan and she looks beautiful on screen. But her role does not have a lot of importance in the film. Rakshit shares a strong bond with Sangeerthana in the movie, but that too has not been elevated properly by the director, as he is more concentrated on the other aspects, such as action and comedy.

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Shatru, who was last seen in Pushpa, gets a good role and delivers adequately. One gets a feeling that his role should have been extended a little more to enhance the dramatic aspect in the film. That said, the director has handled the film’s climax well. Music by Nawfal Raja is okay, but his BGM could have been even better.

As the film is set on the borders of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, the visuals have been captured well. The production design needs a special mention as the aesthetics related to this rustic village drama have been created effectively. But despite having all this, Narakasura falls short in terms of a strong storyline. The intent is good but the film has a lot of deviations and does not deliver what it promises.

VERDICT:

Overall, Narakasura attempts to shed light on transgender equality, but loses steam due to unnecessary commercial elements. A bit more seriousness in narration and impact in drama would have helped the plot a bit.

Also Read: Narakasura glimpse: Rakshit Atluri is an angry youngster seeking redemption in his first pan-Indian film