A ‘spirited’ affair

Director VI Anand is the latest helmsman in the Telugu film industry to take up a ghost comedy with his interestingly titled film ‘Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavada’. Nikhil Siddharth is back on the silver screen nearly a year after his last flop outing ‘Shankarabharanam’, with two heroines for company– the much-in-demand Hebah Patel and a debutante Nandita Swetha, largely seen in Tamil films till now.

Anand plunges straightaway into action from the opening titles itself when the montage gives a hint about how the 139-minute film is likely to be. Figurines and stone etchings, highlighted in graphics mode come to life, adding a scenic beauty to the story as Nikhil accompanies his mentally disturbed pal Vennela Kishore for ‘treatment’ to Kerala. While the friend seemingly returns cured of his problem, a new one begins for the hero. Of course, it is all about falling in love once again for the hero, having been jilted at the altar once earlier. A triangle of sorts emerges between the protagonist and the two ladies, before all is well at the end.

Keeping the viewers hooked, however, irrational it may look for the disbelievers, the director bases his entire theme on the theory of spirits getting in and out of human bodies and how they need to be treated to bring them to normal lives once again. The ambience he deploys for creating the effects to make them look believable is straight out of comic book stuff with the weirdos donning boutique print make-up and tribal clothing. In order to ensure some loyal backing from the top hero followers in Telugu cinema, he plugs in for Pawan Kalyan and also eulogises Vijayawada as being the fountainhead of rowdyism in the state. Over and above this, he has one of the heroines speak Tamil on and off, shooting a portion of the film in that state, which is a sure plus if the film is dubbed into that language.

The comic undertone throughout the film’s running is a sure incentive for the audience and the antics of the hero and his cohorts go down pretty well with them. Nikhil himself plays well within his role’s limit and the time pass factor which the others bring in lends a breezy touch to the proceedings. Hebah Patel, with more screen time has the bigger slice of the cake though Nandita does not do too badly in the acting department, given the multi-layered twists she offers to the audience. The light-hearted treatment to the story and the right blend of fluff and emotion makes this film a watchable one for sure.

Cast : Nikhil, Hebah Patel and Nandita Swetha
Direction : VI Anand
Genre : Horror-comedy
Plus points: Interesting narrative
Minus points: Slackening pace towards the end

K Naresh Kumar