Pachchis (2021)

Pachchis is another one of those Telugu Indie films where it feels like it was made by a bunch of wanna-be NRI filmmakers, who aspire to make Hollywood level cinema, only for it to wind up like a parody film of sorts. The story of this film feels so dated and done to death in way better films in the past. Irritating exposition, terrible acting by the lead, Raamz, and inconsistent story make the exceptional cinematography, music, and good supporting actors like Ravi Kumar's over the top and charming performance lose its potential to be an investing film. Which, overall, leads to a distracting but a forgettable experience. The mildly interesting thriller, has predictable plot points which me and my mother guessed from a mile away. The core plot twist of the police officer is one that me and my mom saw from 100 miles away. It's that lazy and predictable. The characters are so shallow and emotionally uninvesting, especially Raamz's acting ruining any investment in the character of Abhiram, that I just waited for the film to be done, even though I wanted to see the beautiful images captured by Karthik Parmar. But well, it does hold your attention when it's trying to focus on the shallow plot with haunting music, cuts and imagery. Thematically weak, narratively incomplex, and dramatically inert, the movie could've done better with some better drama, a talented lead actor who's capable of carrying the film, and a shorter runtime to balance out the unnecessary dialogue that hinders the narrative. A straight 5/10 from me.