What’s it about?
Satyabhama (Kajal Aggarwal) is an ACP officer in Hyderabad. She encourages women to Install special app on their mobiles and alert police through if any emergency help needed. A girl named Yaseena approaches Satyabhama seeking her help as her husband Yedu, a tattoo artist, harasses her.
As Yedu learns that his wife approached police, he further beats her. Learning Yaseen is in danger, Satyabham goes to her home but by then Yedu slits the throat of Yaseen and flees away. Yaseen’s brother Chotu hates Satyabhama for not saving his sister. As Satyabhama begins hunt to find Yadu, many twists unfurl, including revealation that Yadu is becoming terrorist, Yaseen’s friend Divya’s boyfriend being suspect on another matter, etc.
Will Satyabhama really find Yedu and can she really crack the mystery behind all these interlinked incidents?
Analysis
“Satyabhama” is helmed by a debutant director, but its screenplay is crafted by Sasi Kiran Tikka. Therefore, given his demonstrated proficiency in directing “Major” and “Goodachari,” one anticipates an enthralling narrative. “Satyabhama” doesn’t entirely meet our anticipation.
The film initially captures our attention due to the introduction of various intriguing threads, such as online frauds involving people wearing avatars and chatting in the virtual reality world. The angle of She Apps and She Teams has provided some novelty. However, the director doesn’t connect these elements to the main plot effectively.
It appears that both Sasi Kiran Tikka and the new director Suman have extensively drawn inspiration from Hollywood films and foreign web dramas. Consequently, the film lacks a refreshing quality despite deviating from the typical Telugu movie formula. Satyabhama, although focused on the heroine, thankfully doesn’t follow traditional sequences involving the heroine. Still it fails to provide a new experience as we have already witnessed numerous similar web series on OTT platforms.
The film also leaves us confused at certain times. When the actual resolution occurred, it made us wonder why there was so much fuss over this revenge point.
It also suffers from logic issues. In the Indian context, it is completely illogical for a police officer to focus solely on a single case for more than a year. There is no strong strength in lead heroine’s characterisation. The many subplots confuse the viewers.
Kajal Aggarwal has done an excellent job playing the cop role. Though this is her first time in such roles and genres, Kajal’s charm and capable performance have made a significant difference.
Prajwal Yadma as Chotu and Ankit Koyya as Rushi gave convincing performances. Other actors provide no impactful performances.
Technical and production values are sufficient.
Bottom line: Except for Kajal’s act and a couple of sequences, “Satyabhama” lacks a compelling narrative. With so many subplots and twists for the sake of diversion, we are confused rather than engaged.
Rating: 2.25/5
Film: Satyabhama
Cast: Kajal Aggarwal, Naveen Chandra, Prajwal Yadma, Ankit Koyya, Prakash Raj, Neha Pathan, Sampada, and others
Music: Sricharan Pakala
Screenplay: Sashi Kiran Tikka
DOP: Vishnu Besi
Editor: Kodati Pavan Kalyan
Producers: Bobby Tikka, Srinivas Rao Takkalapelly
Written and Directed by: Suman Chikkala
Release Date: June 7, 2024
