Valari Review - The Ritika Singh horror thriller starts well but ends on a routine and predictable note

2.5/5

Valari Story

Naveen (Sriram) is a captain in the Navy. He along with his wife Divya (Ritika Singh) and son land in Krishnapatnam upon his new posting. At first, they live in a government quarters but later shift to the Venkatapuram bungalow. After a few days, Divya starts getting weird dreams of a 13-year-old killing her parents. Things become even more traumatic when Divya suffers a major accident. The family goes into a panic mode and understands that the bungalow has a connection with their past. What is the backstory of the bungalow? What kind of issues do the family face? How does Divya come out of her problems and how are the characters of Uttej and Subbaraju connected to the storyline? To know the answers, stream the film on ETV Win APP.

Valari Review

Valari is directed by a lady filmmaker, Mrthia Santhoshini, and she has chosen a horror thriller as the genre of her film which is now streaming on Etv Win. But once you watch the film, you will understand that Valari is more of an emotional revenge drama than a horror film. Going back in time, horror thrillers are mostly the same. A family moving to a house that is haunted, an evil spirit going after them, and the family having a past with the spirit is the basic format of these films and Valari is no different. But director Santhoshini gives an edge to the film by showcasing a few social elements related to women that are visible in today's world.

As the director is a woman, she has highlighted the plight of women and how they are abused in today's world have been showcased in a gripping manner. A scene related to a pregnancy scar, how a lady fights to overpower a man filled with lust in the village, such scenes have been showcased in a very good way. However, Valari does not have any stand-out moments. The horror and thrills showcased are quite predictable.

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The basic concept of Valari is based on Karma. How your past deeds haunt you is showcased in the film. But the narration is not that gripping for the most part. The film starts as a horror thriller and ends up as a routine revenge drama that does not showcase anything new. The horror scenes are also dull and do not scare you that much. But the build-up to the main conflict point has been handled decently. 

The pace of the film is also quite slow in key areas. A more gripping screenplay would have made a world of difference to the film. The production values of Valari are so-so and could have been better in setting up the premise. There is a sense of something missing in the film because of the dull look in many scenes in the second half. 

There are a few aspects which have been handled well. The concept of Ritika Singh getting a weird dream is included quite well in the film but once you go more deep into the film, other invalid scenes dominate the show and leave you a bit disappointed. The backstory of the film has some interesting moments that are executed well by the director and keep you engaged.

Valari is headlined by Ritika Singh and she is quite impressive throughout the film. With Valari, she got a lot of scope to showcase her talent and Ritika does not let go of the opportunity and gives a great performance. Ritika, who is known to do different roles looks fresh in her character and this her an edge in the film. Her two varied characters give the film a unique look. Ritika's performance in the flashback scenes is quite good. Ritika looks impressive as the mother and gives an emotional performance.

Sriram is also neat in the film and ably supports Ritika. His facial expressions in some key and intense scenes were quite good. Subbaraju in a key role impressed. His entry brings a lot of depth to the film. T S Vishnu has composed the music and his BGM is good and elevates the thrills decently. Director Mritika has handled the dialogues and screenplay as well. Her dialogues are quite impressive whereas the screenplay leaves a lot to be desired.

One of the biggest drawbacks of Valari is the grip on the proceedings goes away as the film progresses. What starts as a solid thriller with a unique backdrop becomes a routine film that does not showcase anything new. The so-called wow moments that a thriller needs are missing in Valari and the emotional angle takes over and ends the film on a predictable note. The message given by the end of the film looks quite good though.

Valari Verdict

On the whole, Valari is a routine thriller that does not showcase anything novel. It starts on a thrilling note and has a great performance by Ritika Singh, and a few emotional moments that keep you interested. But the revenge drama in the final act is not that impressive and the film ends on a very predictable note.

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