‘Virupaksha’ movie review: Sai Dharam Tej and Samyuktha Menon’s film invokes fear without the gimmicks

Sai Dharam Tej in ‘Virupaksha’
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

When a story discusses paranormal activities, it is easy to brush it aside as superstition. The task of the storyteller, then, is to build the world of the story such that the viewer is drawn into it and remains invested in the mysterious happenings and begins to empathise with some of the characters. Director Karthik Varma Dandu who has written the story of the Telugu film Virupaksha, which has screenplay by Sukumar, builds the make-believe world of Rudravanam village diligently. When a series of eerie events unfold, I found myself wondering why a character should invite trouble by walking into the jungle at night or why another character crosses a line that is supposedly sacrosanct. An hour into the film, a particularly spooky incident sets the stage for the protagonist, played by Sai Dharam Tej, to begin a quest. 

An incident that happened in the late 1970s becomes the premise for a chunk of the story that takes place in 1991. The 1990s setting helps the makers build the fear quotient minus mobile phones and social media; help is not a call or click away.

Surya (Sai Dharam Tej) visits Rudravanam village accompanied by his mother. They are greeted by what the mother thinks could be a bad omen. Surya dismisses it as a possibility in the forests. In Rudravanam, life revolves around the village deity and ritualistic practices, guided by the temple priest (Sai Chand). A hurried and superficially written romance brews between Surya and Nandini (Samyuktha Menon), daughter of the sarpanch (Rajiv Kanakala). 

Virupaksha

Cast: Sai Dharam Tej, Samyuktha Menon, Rajiv Kanakala, Sai Chand, Brahmaji

Direction: Karthik Varma Dandu

Music: B. Ajaneesh Loknath

Srinagendra Tangala’s production design and Shamdat Sainudeen’s cinematography help in giving the village an authentic look and most characters seem fit into that world. The only one who is given the allowance to look glamorous is the female lead. More than the Surya-Nandini love story, the subplot involving another couple comes across as realistic. 

The story follows a few predictable trajectories. We know that Surya will end up staying longer in the village and will become their saviour. For a long time, he is privy to the events in the village without being directly connected to them. The sense of purpose kicks in when there is a threat to a loved one and he begins a quest. 

We get plenty of night sequences (some of which doff the hat to Manoj Night Shyamalan), unexplained deaths, a desolated mansion and rituals of different kinds. Along with the cinematography, Ajaneesh Loknath’s background score, Navin Nooli’s editing and remarkable sound design ensure that the interest is sustained and the narrative delivers chills from time to time. There are no screeching ghosts, no gory jumpscares but enough situations to invoke fear. A story such as this is also bound to be flashback heavy to unravel a few plot points. These reveals are effective and also help to sidestep certain cliched tropes. To explain further would mean revealing spoilers.  And thankfully, the film has just two situational songs and half an action sequence that soon outlives its welcome.

Sai Dharam Tej fits the bill as an outsider investigating a mystery. He is happy being a bystander until he finds himself in a spot. Samyuktha has a good screen presence and makes it count in the later portions that demand something more from her. The only quibble about the narrative is the weak romance early on. Had this portion been written and narrated better, the final portions would have had a better impact. Sai Chand, Brahmaji, Ajay and several others in the supporting cast add to Virupaksha’s strength.

Virupaksha has plenty going for it and is among the well made supernatural thrillers in Telugu cinema in recent years. A big thumbs up to the technical team in particular.