Ashwin Babu takes on the main lead in the suspense thriller "Hidimbha," a film that hit the screens today. The film is directed by Anil Kanneganti and has Ashwin Babu and Nandita Swetha as the main leads. Read our detailed review here.
Plot
The story revolves around a series of mysterious disappearances of girls in Hyderabad, putting pressure on the police force. A special IPS officer named Adhya (Nandita Swetha) is brought in to investigate, with junior officer Abhay (Ashwin Babu) assisting her. They discover that a tribe called Hidimbha is involved in these crimes, but why an ancient tribe would be connected to these serial killings remains a puzzle and how Abhay and Adhya crack the case is the story of the film.
Performances
The performances in the film are decent, with Nandita Swetha delivering a strong role as the cop. Though she looks naive initially, Nandita does a good job by the end of the film. Markand Despande impresses with his portrayal of a descendant of the Hidimbha clan, creating a scary atmosphere with his appearance. Ashwin Babu, the main lead, shows improvement in his acting and excels in action sequences, but he tends to overact in the latter part of the film, affecting the overall impact. Had he kept his approach a bit realistic, things would have been even more effective.
Technicalities
From a technical standpoint, the film shines in cinematography and music, creating remarkable visuals and sound design. The production quality is commendable, but the screenplay could have been better in the latter part of the film. The editing is good and the dialogues are impressive. The production design and locations chosen are neat. technically, Hidimbha looks great and has no issues with the look and feel of the film.
What's Good
The film's premise and introduction of the ancient tribe are intriguing. After a dull first half, the film picks up momentum in the second half, showcasing the crime and revealing the backstory of Hidimbha in a solid manner.
The movie has good action and visuals, but the climax feels rushed and lacks intensity. The last fifteen minutes of the film are quite interesting as a major twist that is revealed is shocking.
The manner in which the Hidimbha clan is showcased through a flashback is very nice. The connection with the human race and the serial killing linked to the clan has been nicely thought off.
The character of Makarand Deshpande and how he is showcased as a deadly man-eating machine in the film looks good. The crimes he does and the color blindness issue with red in all the murders looks good.
What's Bad
Though the film is good on paper, the execution falls short in some areas. The first half feels slow and drags, particularly during the investigation and love track.
As too much time is taken on the flashback and showcasing the Hidimbha clan, the director does not have much time to deal with the actual twist. By the time the interesting twist comes out, the film is done.
The climax and the manner in which Ashwin Babu behaves, in the end, look a bit over the top. A more subtle handling of this aspect would have made matters better.
The film defies logic in many areas. It goes back and front in time and one gets confused about the crimes showcases. Proper clarity in the narration would have made matters even better.
Vox Verdict
In the end, Hidimbha is a suspense thriller with a compelling storyline. But the narration could have been clearer and more gripping. It manages to create an intriguing factor, but the film's pacing and some logical inconsistencies disappoint in a few areas. If thrillers are your genre, give this film a shot.
Rating:2.5/5
