Vanchana Review: The Uma Mahesh courtroom drama is an honest attempt
Vanchana Review: The courtroom drama has a new star cast but the manner in which the organized crime syndicate is showcased looks good.
2.5/5
Nov 08, 2024
Vanchana poster
Vanchana Story
A church father is killed and his driver Chalam(Srinivasa Rao) gets arrested. In comes a young criminal lawyer Krishna(Uma Mahesh) to investogate the case. As he starts investigating, he comes to know shocking truths about the killer which he has a personal connection with. Who killed the church father? Did Krishna find the killer and get him jailed? What is the backstory behing all this? To know the answers, watch the film on the big screen.
Vanchana Review
Vanchana is written and directed by debutante Uma Mahesh. The special aspect is that he also plays the main lead in the film which is a courtroom drama filled with decent thrills. The film is about how a very young lawyer, new at work takes on the crime syndicate in a gripping drama. The film showcases how organized crime happens to religious priests and how a very innocent man gets framed.
Though the plot looks simple, the manner in which it is narrated looks neat. The build up to the murder and the manner in which the lawyer starts his investigation has some decent moments. Vanchana has multiple subplots that are initially unleashed in a confusing manner but with time, the dots are connected quite well. Uma Mahesh acts and directs the film. More than the actor, he shines as a director. His talent in handling a thriller is evident in the way he narrates the thrills in a decent manner.
There is a lot of scope for improvement for a first timer, he has done well. One gets a feeling that if he had a good cast, things would have been even better. The second half of the film is where all the action happens and the main twist that is revealed at the end is quite good.
The killer who commits the crime and the motto behind it is also justifed in a proper manner. But the pace of the film is a bit slow. To confuse the audience a bit more, a lot of filler scenes are added and there was absolutely no need for this and makes the proceedings a bit dull in many areas.
Coming to the performances, Uma Mahesh does well in a lawyer. He looks a bit naive in the intial portions of the film but as the case gets interesting, his performance also makes sense. Sai Priya plays hero's mother and she was impressive in her role. Diwakar is good as the father and showcases good emotions.
One should rember that Vanchana is the first film for all these actors and they do their best to keep things alive. Though the film is made on a very low budget, the visuals are decent. The courtroom setup, crime backdrop, everything looks realistic. The background score is decent but it could have been better when the actual twists are unveiled.
The dialogues are impressive and so was the dubbing. There is also an underlying message how crime is done and what one needs to keep away from it. Though the story sounds simple and routine, Uma Mahesh has narrated the film in such a way that it makes for a decent watch.
Vanchana Verdict
On the whole, Vanchana is a decent courtroom drama that has decent thrills. Uma Mahesh acts and directs this thriller which deals with organized crime. If you ignore the amateur performances and cast, the film has enough moments for us to give it a shot.
Also Read: Appudo Ippudo Eppudo Review: The Nikhil Siddhartha film is as silly as it gets
Share