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Pothugadda Review: The Aadukalam Naren film is routine thriller with forced emotions

Pothugadda Review: The Aadukalam Naren film has a very good backdrop and a few thrills. But the emotions look out of place. The film was made available for streaming on Jan 30, 2025, on ETV Win. 

2/5rating
Pothugadda Review: The Aadukalam Naren film is routine thriller with forced emotions

Pothugadda review

Last Updated: 12.34 PM, Jan 31, 2025

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Pothugadda Story

In the small town of Pothugadda, MLA Samudra (Aadukalam Naren) appoints his daughter, Geetha (Krheah Raj), as Youth President to secure power. Meanwhile, his rival Bhaskar (Shatru) plans to bribe voters with ₹50 crore. Geetha, neglected by her father, falls in love with Krishna (Prudhvi Dandamudi) and decides to elope. When Samudra learns of her escape, he orders his aide, Venkat, to kill Krishna and bring her back. Coincidentally, Bhaskar’s bribe is being transported in the same bus that Geetha and Krishna board. Will they escape? Will the bribe make it across the border? Find out by streaming the film on ETV Win now. 

Pothugadda Review

Pothugadda has been written and directed by Raksha Veeram and features an interesting premise. Most of the film takes place on a bus, with various conflicts and issues unfolding during the journey. While this aspect is engaging, it takes some time to get there, which can feel slow and detracts from the overall grip on the story.

Pothugadda is quite weak when it comes to emotions. The way Geetha is made Youth President and her relationship with her strict father isn’t handled well. More than anything, the love story between Geetha and Krishna doesn’t emotionally connect with the audience. Everything is established too quickly, and some scenes are given undue importance, which isn’t necessary.

Based on a real incident, the faction backdrop may not be new to Telugu audiences, but the setting is fresh, and since most of the film happens on a bus, things stay interesting. A few thrilling moments, where the couple smartly handles goons, are showcased decently. However, the tension that should make the audience feel for the couple is lacking.

The thrills and character behaviors are good, but the weak emotions fail to hold attention. The faction-based scenes feel routine and boring as they have been done in many films before.

Pothugadda review
Pothugadda review

As for the performances, Aadukalam Naren excels as the rude politician, bringing depth to the proceedings. The concept of honour killing is routine, but Naren's performance adds a unique touch. Pushpa fame Shatru is also good, but his track could have been handled better.

Prudhvi Dandamudi plays the male lead and is just okay. He needs to work on his expressions, as he was only decent in the film. Krheah Raj plays the female lead and is perfectly cast for the role.

Marcus composed the music, and his work is impressive. Considering the budget and the night setting, the visuals are great. Since most of the film happens in a bus, the camerawork beautifully captures the mood. However, the editing could have been better, as the faction-related scenes should have been wrapped up quicker.

Pothugadda
Pothugadda

Director Raksha Veeram has done a good job setting the film in a solid backdrop, but the lack of emotional depth causes it to lose momentum quickly.

Pothugadda Verdict

On the whole, Pothugadda has a decent backdrop and a few thrills that impress. But the lack of depth in the core emotional plot and tension in the proceedings makes it a routine thriller.

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