There is a sure diploma of freedom that storytellers take pleasure in with a movie that’s not tailor-made to swimsuit an actor’s picture. One can sense that liberation in director Mohan Srivatsa’s Telugu movie Tribanadhari Barbarik, which, regardless of being a done-to-death redemption drama centred on a lacking youngster, rises above the constraints of its style, because of crisp storytelling and well-etched characters.
The title, Tribanadhari Barbarik, is a reference to Ghatotkacha’s son within the Mahabharata; he’s a gifted warrior who vows to assist the dropping aspect within the conflict. The movie’s protagonist, Shyam Kathu (one other identify for Barbarik, performed by Sathyaraj), a psychiatrist, is a warrior-like determine for his granddaughter Nidhi, who goes lacking one evening. The grandfather is not going to relaxation until he finds her.
The movie alternates between the previous and the current, as Shyam items collectively clues about Nidhi’s whereabouts, with the assistance of a pleasant underdog cop, Chandra (Satyam Rajesh). Simultaneously, a thread unfolds about two childhood mates, Dev (Kranthi Kiran) and Ram (Vasishta Simha), showcasing what drives them to commit petty crimes for a livelihood, till karma catches up with them.
Tribanadhari Barbarik
Director: Mohan Srivatsa
Cast: Sathyaraj, Vasishta N Simha, Satyam Rajesh, Udayabhanu
Runtime: 127 minutes
Story: A psychiatrist goes all out to search out his lacking granddaughter
The story is an amalgam of incidents that result in a crime involving a lady. Most characters have a voice, an arc and a say within the plot development. It isn’t any vanilla story of heroism constructed across the victimisation of girls. The lacking youngster is aware of to struggle for herself. There’s a girl who is inspired to confront her abusive previous. A massy feminine don unabashedly calls the pictures in Hyderabad’s Barkhatpura.
The narrative sincerely tries to grasp the circumstances beneath the character’s selections. What may flip a man into a monster? It will not be solely fearful about that one ill-fated evening affecting a lady, however equally within the psyche of the perpetrator (additional justified by Shyam’s occupation). He leads a comparatively peculiar life with easy goals till the beast in him does the unthinkable.
While the male gaze within the writing is clear, it’s nonetheless economical. It opts for a no-frills, slow-burn strategy and is in no rush for solutions. It shoots itself within the foot to an extent with the marginally convoluted second hour, although. A number of problematic characters (resembling Padma’s effeminate assistant Nari), the half-comic subplot across the goon Das and the standard merchandise quantity have an effect on its momentum.
The director, whereas coping with many acquainted sequences, teases the viewer about treading the plain path however lends it an unconventional twist. There are a number of variations of the identical incidents, key info are deliberately hidden, and legendary parallels emerge in sudden conditions (although one wonders if it may have been executed with higher impression).
There’s an unpredictability to the movie’s trajectory, which provides a completely different attraction to an more and more worn-out formulation, pushing the viewer to concentrate to the proceedings. Like the latest Fahadh Faasil-Vadivelu movie Maareesan and Vijay Sethupathi’s Maharaja, it veers in direction of vigilante activism, however the restrained therapy is its saviour. The climax, particularly, is efficient.
Sathyaraj delivers a restrained portrayal of a psychiatrist trying to settle scores. Despite the drastic circumstances, he retains the character’s feelings in examine. Satyam Rajesh is spectacular as a weak cop who retains fainting on the sight of useless our bodies. Both Vasishta N Simha and Kranthi Kiran, as childhood pals-turned-criminals, ship neat, assured performances.
Meghana Sunil, the kid artiste, is a high quality discover. One anticipated extra out of Udayabhanu’s Vakili Padma, particularly after her introduction with such pomp and aura. The authoritarian presence comes naturally to her, however the function lacks meat. Sanchi Rai and Prabhavathi (as Ram’s mom) make a mark in essential roles, whereas the likes of Motta Rajendran and VTV Ganesh don’t have anything new to supply.
The movie generally misses out on a distinct Telugu flavour as a result of its casting selections — from Sathyaraj to Motta Rajendran, VTV Ganesh to Vasishta N Simha, to call a few. The background rating (by Infusion band), cinematography (by Kushendar Ramesh Reddy), and imaginative modifying selections (Marthand Okay Venkatesh) bolster its attraction on the technical entrance.
Tribanadhari Barbarik narrates a acquainted story and but tweaks it simply sufficient to maintain the audiences invested for over two hours. Look previous a few of its tough edges and that is a movie that’s conscious of its boundaries and makes optimum use of its sources.
