Rakshasudu – Movie Review

What’s it about?

Arun (Bellamkonda Sai Srinivas) wanted to be a filmmaker but he becomes a police officer. In Hyderabad city, series of murders happen and he suspects that a serial killer is on the loose. He uses out-of-the box ideas in investigating this case but he always stumbles on roadblocks in catching the serial killer. A personal loss further determines him to hunt for the killer. How he does and who that killer forms the rest of the drama.

Analysis

‘Rakshasudu’, remake of a 2018 Tamil hit thriller named ‘Ratsasan’ begins like a movie shoot. The protagonist is introduced as a wannabe filmmaker. Then the movie suddenly shifts the tone, slowly unravels as a serial killer thriller, drawing us into the story with protagonist’s clever technique of investigation. I have not seen the original Tamil film but a quick google search gives impression that ‘Rakshasudu’ has almost followed the structure, setting and narration of the original Tamil movie.
‘Rakshasudu’ has many thrilling moments. Many suspenseful scenes are presented with taut narration. The film is about a serial killer who is on a murder spree. His victims are school girls. The narration focuses on investigation of the protagonist.

If you have seen Korean thrillers (the Korean makers have mastered the art of making serial killer movies), the narration of the film is similar to that setup which is taut and riveting. This is where the film has scored immensely. However, the film loses the track after such an interesting setup post-interval with family and melodramatic moments. Thankfully, it comes back in the groove before the penultimate sequence and ends with an interesting climax. The penultimate sequences are highly satisfying. 

Despite the film being lengthy and some flaws and uneven tempo post-interval, the movie is engaging enough. 

Coming to performances, this thriller definitely presents Bellamkonda Srinivas, who has been struggling to impress the audiences, in a different light. He has played the role of a cop who is obsessed with the serial killer and the investigation of murders. Anupama Parameshwaran in a brief role does justice. Rajeev Kanakala is perfect.

The thriller has terrific technical values especially the background score by Ghibran. He is the real hero of the movie. Cinematography shot is equally good.
Director Ramesh Varma has done neat job in this remake.

Bottom-line: ‘Rakshasudu’ is fairly captivating serial-killer thriller with some edge of the seat moments. Aided by Ghibran’s music and sound design, the film provides enough thrills. It makes an interesting watch.