7:11 PM Movie Review: The Sahaas, Deepika Reddy sci-fi drama has a decent plot but falters completely with its execution

2/5

Story

7: 11 PM is set in the small town of Hamsaladeevi in the late '90s. Ravi(Saahas), an IPS aspirant is in deep love with Vimala(Deepika). One fine day, Ravi gets chased by goons and he accidentally lands in a bus which transports him to Australia. In a shocking turnaround of events, Ravi he discovers that he has time-traveled 25 years into the future and is now in 2024. Things turn even worse for Ravi when he discovers that his girlfriend has been murdered exactly at 7.11 PM in 1990. What will Ravi do now? How did he time travel 25 years in the future? How will he go back in time and save the love of his life? To know the answers, you need to watch the film on the big screen.

Review

7:11 PM has an interesting plot but fails to deliver in terms of execution. The subplots are poorly written and fail to engage the audience. As a result, the film falls short in terms of creating a compelling viewing experience. As the cast and crew are new, the desired emotions are not elevated properly. The shock factor as to how one lands in the future and the reason behind the past and future has not been showcased on a clear note. The film has several loose ends as Chaitu Madala's script is good but his inexperience is shown in multiple areas.

There is a lack of investment in the hero's journey when he comes back in time to save everyone. The screenplay by Chaitu Madala is ordinary, with a first half that doesn't meet expectations and the poor political subplots are boring and stretched for no reason. The second half improves slightly with key twists and a shift to Australia, but the climax is unnecessarily dragged and ends the film on a silly note.

Coming to the performances, Saahas Pagadala does an okay job in his role as Ravi. He particularly shines in the scenes when he travels to Australia. Deepika Reddy, as the hero's girlfriend Vimala, does justice to her limited role. Tess Walsh convincingly supports the hero's character after his arrival in Australia. Bharat Reddy delivers a solid performance as the main villain. It is good to see him in an important role and he holds the screen quite convincingly. More Telugu speaking actors like him should be roped in to play negative roles in Telugu films. The serial killer, Louie Athanasiou tries hard but ends up overacting for no reason.

Raghu Karumanchi, Rising Raju, Sienna, Marina Bi, Vasu Routhu, and Charan Kurugonda, perform well in their respective roles. The dialogues are average, with a few emotional lines making an impact but the majority lack proper depth. Chaitu Madala's direction lacks proper experience and that is evident in the way he handled a sci-fi subject which has a flat narration for the most part. The songs by Gyaani are disappointing and the background score also fails to create an impact. The cinematography by Siva Shankar and Fabio Capodivento is decent.

Editing by Srinu Thota is mediocre, with around 20 minutes that could have been trimmed, especially in the first half and climax portions. The production values by Arcus Films are adequate. The highlights of the film include the pre-interval and post-interval twists. Apart from this, the film fails to entertain the audience. The reason behind the time travel and how the past and present are connected should have been showcased in a more interesting manner to hold the attention of the audience. But that does not happen and the film becomes boring.

Verdict

On the whole, 7:11 PM has an interesting plot but falls short in execution. The poorly developed subplots, casting, and lack of engaging thrills make this film a tedious watch this weekend.

Also Read: Bhaag Saale Review