Vadhuvu Review - The Avika Gor starrer has decent thrills that keep you hooked

3/5

Vadhuvu Story

Indu's (Avika Gor) wedding gets called off after her sister elopes with her fiance. Whenever her parents try to get her married, some problem stops her wedding. Finally, Indu's parents get her engaged to Anand (Nandu). Right from the moment the wedding begins, Indu understands that someone is trying to stop it. The same happens even after she goes to her in-laws house. The family she gets married into has a dark past and one member is trying to attack Indu. Who is targeting Indu? Who is not happy with her entry into Anand's life? Is the family keeping a dark secret? To know the answers, stream Vadhuvu on Disney+ Hotstar.

Vadhuvu Review

Vadhuvu is the official remake of the Bengali series Indu and has been adapted by writer-director Poluri Krishna for the Telugu audience on Disney+ Hotstar. The family drama has a dark theme and the characters showcased have a story to tell. One of the best aspects of the series is that there are no curse words or any obscene material and the entire family can watch it.

How a dark theme is set between two families and how the blame game moves back and forth is the best part of Vadhuvu. Director Poluri Krishna makes sure that each episode has multiple twists. He does not waste time and creates interest in the series right away with impressive thrills.

The drama is showcased through the character of Avika Gor and the audience is immediately in sympathy with her character. Yet another best part of the series is that each episode is under thirty minutes and one can watch it all at once. The suspense element has been sustained in each episode and director Krishna has made sure he does not go into unnecessary subplots to bore the audience.

Also Read: Vadhuvu on OTT - All you need to know about Avika Gor, Ali Reza and Nandu’s drama 

But one also gets disappointed as the main culprit and the twist behind the entire story are left for the second season. Apart from that, Vadhuvu has decent scenes. The use of dark characters and the way Avika Gor's character doubts everyone in the family are showcased neatly. Story-wise, there is nothing novel that is showcased here but how characters create doubts with their weird behaviour is neatly handled.

Avika Gor headlines the show and gets good scope to showcase her talent. As Indu, she gives an emotional performance and showcases even the minutest of the expressions impressively. Ali Reza gets a dark role and he has done well in the series. The way he performs in the latter part of the series is quite good. Nanu is the main pillar of the show and his role and performance bring depth to the show.

Watch Month of Madhu on OTTplay by subscribing to the Simply South pack which provides access to 14 OTTs at just Rs 199/month.

The rest of the cast is relatively new. The actor who plays a pervert looks weird and does not create much of an impact. This is why one gets the feeling that if Vahduvu had a few more seasoned actors, the output would have been even better. Most of the cast are new and even though they manage to do well, the desired impact is only half.

Vahduvu is set indoors and in a mansion. So, the camera work needed to be on top to showcase the proceedings differently. The same happens as the set is lit up beautifully and the dark theme is captured well. The dialogues are impressive and the editing is crisp. The editing is top-notch, as the show does not deviate from the topic one bit. Right from the production design to the BGM, things have been taken care of quite nicely.

As said earlier, the audience is left on a cliffhanger, and this will not be liked by many. The show has a few predictable scenes in the initial episodes and the director fails to establish which character is related to whom. It is only after the initial episode that one gets to understand the basic setup of the show. Once that happens, Vahduvu makes for a breezy watch and holds your attention for the most part.

Vadhuvu Verdict

On the whole, Vadhuvu is a decent family drama with a dark theme. The performances and suspense elements hold your attention till the end. Though the story is a bit routine, the crisp runtime and decent narration make the series a breezy watch.

Also Read: Vadhuvu is a dark family drama with unique twists, says Poluri Krishna