Odela Railway Station review: Sampath Nandi’s crime thriller is voyeuristic, creepy and cheap

1/5

Story:

Anudeep is a newly appointed cop in Odela, a sleepy village in Telangana. His entry into Odela coincides with a series of killings, mostly of newlywed brides right on their wedding night. The cop is sleeplessly looking out for the serial killer and attempting to understand his motive. Meanwhile, Radha and Tirupathi are an ordinary rural couple leading a meagre existence. They are startled when the cop suspects one of their family members behind the murders. What connects the couple to this murder mystery?

Review:

There’s no doubt that thrillers are the flavour of the season though honestly, we’re heading towards an overdose. However, even if you want to cash in on the trend, please make them well. Odela Railway Station is a strange thriller where the intent and the execution lack purpose. Beyond its basic premise - set in a small town revolving around a serial killer and linking it to a medical disorder - the makers neither have a gripping screenplay nor adequate thrills to enthuse a viewer.

There’s more to the thriller genre beyond serial killers, motives, crimes and suspects - films are as much about the visual aesthetics, the ambience of the story and the storytelling. In the case of Odela Railway Station, one may cite the budget and the COVID-19 scenario as an excuse, but the best of art is born out of limitations. Here, the film’s main limitation is the creative bankruptcy in the writing.

The only aspect that Odela Railway Station gets right is its duration, you’re assured that the director Ashok Teja knows the scope of his plot. At no point, does the film spark your curiosity. More than his superiors or the residents, Anudeep, the cop keeps sharing the case details with his wife and ultimately these conversations lead to a ridiculous finale, that’s more obnoxious than the serial killer’s motive.

Anudeep keeps talking in English continuously to suggest he’s an urban-bred youngster and he flaunts his vocabulary indulgently in critical junctures of the narrative even when there’s no necessity. Sai Ronak is hardly believable as a cop. His portrayal is only focused on maintaining a stiff posture and an ‘I don’t care’ expression on his face. Beyond the fact that Radha and Tirupathi have no physical satisfaction in their marriage, you never get to know their lives enough. There’s nothing in their world to keep you interested.

Another problem with the film is how it chooses to look at its women (probably to highlight the way the serial killer looks at his victims) - the voyeuristic cinematography, indulgently focusing on their sensual appeal and physique, leaves you uneasy more often than not. The film, time and again, suggests how the killer lusts after women in weird ways. There’s a thin line that separates authentic portrayal from glorification - Odela Railway Station loses sight of that balance.

For a major part, Odela Railway Station is a bunch of random scenes put together without any larger meaning. There are constant jerks and the director doesn’t make any effort to sustain the tension in the narrative. The apparent male gaze in the writing and the overly sexualised nature of the storytelling are frequent distractions. Despite the reasonably convincing backstory for the psychopath in the climax, it’s devoid of any impact.

It’s also problematic that the creator suddenly shifts the focus to ‘impotency’ among men in the ending and even directs a ‘message’ to viewers about the reasons that can cause it. What were they even trying to suggest? The casting is another bottleneck- a bulk of the characters don’t fit their parts at all. Be it Sai Ronak or Hebah Patel or Pujita Ponnada, the viewer never gets to believe that they belong to the film’s world. Vasishta Simha is passable despite his poor role.

First-time filmmaker Ashok Teja doesn’t capitalise on the small-town flavour or the locales much. Anup Rubens’ score is too generic to strike a chord. It’s disappointing how Sampath Nandi, after many years of experience, can write a glaringly bland film.

Verdict:

Odela Railway Station is a bland, pointless thriller sans any meaning or purpose. The thriller has major issues at every level - the significant ones being Sampath Nandi’s insensitive script, the flavourless execution and the poor casting. The viewer can rather ‘watch paint dry’ than waste his time on this film. Avoid!