Tag Archives: tragedy

Cheekatilo

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Vampire Owl: So, another Telugu movie after quite some time in between.

Vampire Bat: There have been long gaps between movies except English and Malayalam.

Vampire Owl: I thought we had enough Hindi movies in there.

Vampire Bat: Yes, but due to some reason, these OTTs are more into series and not movies.

Vampire Owl: Any work should end in a few hours and should not be stretched.

Vampire Bat: Yes, we are forced to wait for an infinite time to have the next episode.

Vampire Owl: Keeping people waiting for so long. Absolutely ridiculous.

Vampire Bat: The wait is never worth it when we have other things do in life.

Vampire Owl: Still, the blind and dumb fans will have other ideas.

Vampire Bat: No wonder Uncle Dracula said no to any more humans turned into vampires. Dracula Castle has no place for nonsense.

[Gets a blueberry cake and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: Sandhya (Sobhita Dhulipala) has been working as a journalist in one of the leading television channels in the city. She has been looking forward to report and talk about crime in the city and bring the less explored areas to light. But when the crime report which she was going to read is changed by her superior to bring a sexual and illicit relationship to the scene, she protests and submits her resignation, much to the shock of the Managing Editor and surprise of her co-workers. The intern who has been working under her, Bobby (Aditi Myakal), is still happy though, and she asks her to begin a crime podcast. Bobby finds Sandhya as a true journalist among TRP seekers and her role model in the field. Sandhya also asks Bobby to join her. But soon, Bobby is found tied up, raped and murdered while her boyfriend is also tied up and murdered in her apartment. Sandhya tries to solve this case with the help of her boyfriend Amar (Vishwadev Rachakonda) with whom her marriage has already been fixed by their parents despite him being two years younger than her.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The police inspector in charge of the investigation, Rajeev (Chaitanya Krishna) does not like her and her boyfriend trying to poke their noses right inside his case file and crime scene. But Sandhya manages to find her own clues and points to a man through his podcast, but it turns out that he was only the man who stole Bobby’s earrings, and a phone call from the killer reveals that more murders are to follow soon enough. Another police officer named Ananditha (Isha Chawla) is assigned the same case, but Sandhya is not ready to leave the case and connect it to similar rape and murders which occurred in the villages on the outskirts of the city. As she seems to connect the dots, the police officers are not that impressed, especially after her previous framing of another man, and her podcast and hashtag campaign seem to make the killer angrier. Can the police or Sandhya stop the killer in time, or will similar incidents keep happening to keep the common people in terror?

The defence of Cheekatilo :: Here is another murder investigation that works, and at no point does the movie losses its strength. The twists are there to come, and the thrills are sufficient. Along with the same, the movie remains a thoughtful critique of how society and ratings-driven television handle crimes, with focus on the need for trauma, healing and empathy for victims. The focus on the past of the serial killer is also something worth mentioning. The mood is nicely built with the atmosphere as much as an initial scene which serves a time period much earlier as it lets us know what is to expect in a classic manner, and the sound effects and music used work really well. There is no attempt to overdo anything for the fans, and maybe the release on Amazon Prime Video helped the purpose – the Hindi dubbed version which we watched could also serve the purpose well. The movie is also not that long, staying at two hours, which would be the best choice. The film actually came as a pleasant surprise, as we had not heard about its release and were looking for a new thriller movies and this one just came out of nowhere.

Positives and negatives :: The movie does seem to drag a bit with many tales and some repetitions here and there. The romance is also almost completely lost in the totality of things. We keep trying to find the love, but we get the killings, and as it is a thriller, we say that it will do for now. The red herrings work, and they remain constant reminders of the extra effort being put in here, and the predictability is lessened right there. Even though the final revelation is effective and brings the surprise really well, the motive feels too quickly explained by a very fast backstory, thus making the climax giving the feeling of being prepared in a hurry. But the same surprisingly works, and it is because the willing suspension of disbelief never really leaves us, and the flow is still there towards that surprise and the motive. There is also the feeling that there is something missing on the side of the characters, with some of them never really keeping us interested. Some of them might be responsible for making us feel deviated from the main thing here.

The performers of the soul :: Sobhita Dhulipala delivers the best performance of the movie, with a certain command over the narrative. As she plays a true-crime podcaster who gets personally entangled in a murder investigation, this one becomes all about a grounded investigation that never goes out of her control as far as acting is concerned. We have seen he in her first movie, Raman Raghav 2.0, and therefore we know that she is no stranger to psycho killers and brutal murders happening around her character with a true psychopath on the hunt and a police officer also on a grand search. Her subtle facial expressions and body language nicely brings her internal conflict into the picture, as the character also has the trauma from childhood to go beyond. She blends is as the podcaster as well as the journalist with remarkable ease. Vishwadev Rachakonda as Amar makes the lover believable, but not without those shades which work nicely in the process. Chaitanya Krishna as Rajeev makes a fine police officer. Isha Chawla as Ananditha is the other police character, and that works well too. The rest also works along nicely.

How it finishes :: The movie stands strong with its core and the thrills and twists which follow, as we have something which goes well like Memories, Dheeram, Anjaam Pathiraa, John Luther, Forensic etc with its investigation. This is almost among my favourite Telugu movies, as there is no overdose of anything here, going on a path which never tries to satisfy the blind masala fans, as we have seen in many other Telugu movies. This one goes on a fine path which we can accept without much trouble, as the balance is maintained with the investigation always leaving something for us, even in the form of interesting red herrings. As we see that this movie released on Amazon Prime Video, one can be sure about the blind fans of the theatres never really creeping in, and the same might have helped the purpose a lot. With the movie’s atmosphere and the smooth journey, it feels like a movie made in the further south, and even with some predictability and seemingly strange deviations, there is the feeling that we have watched a fine murder investigation thriller with some messages to go with it.

Release date: 23rd January 2026
Running time: 126 minutes
Directed by: Sharan Koppisetty
Starring: Sobhita Dhulipala, Vishwadev Rachakonda, Chaitanya Krishna, Esha Chawla, Jhansi, Aamani, Ravindra Vijay

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Security

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What is the movie about? :: Roberto Santini (Marco D’Amore) is at the head of a security surveillance company, which takes care of the safety of some of the wealthiest people in the area. As the whole area is more or less like a beach resort, there are lots of tourists around, and due to its proximity to sea, there is also the possibility of having some ilegal immigrants running around, which makes the installment of security cameras rather necessary. His daughter, Angela Raffaelli Santini (Ludovica Martino) doesn’t listen to her parents. His wife Claudia Raffaelli Santini (Maya Sansa) is running for the post of mayor, and vows to make the place a safer area. But on an eventful night, a local girl, Maria Spezi (Beatrice Granno) is found with a bloody face on one of the cameras. She also seems to faint soon. The girl lands in the hospital with a dislocated shoulder, while Roberto’s marriage is not going great – their daughter, Angela is in a relationship with her much older creative writing professor, Steffano Thomassi (Silvio Muccino) who is recently divorced. Roberto is also in a relationship with Elena Ventini (Valeria Bilello), a single mother.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As Roberto spends most of his time with the security cameras, even in the night, he rarely gets any sleep at all. Claudia is a conservative candidate, who is determined to become the first female mayor of the town, whatever it takes. Walter Spezi (Tommaso Ragno), Maria’s father is considered to be the man who was responsible for beating her up, but as she comes to her senses, she tells everyone that it was someone else, and a boy was involved. Walter is freed, but he does have a history of sexual assault and other abuses. Roberto doubts if Elena’s son Dario Ventini (Giulio Pranno) who was found drunk and driving was involved in the crime. Roberto and Claudia understand that Angela is in a relationship with an older man, and they feel that she is sleeping at his place while telling them that she was studying with her classmate (Lavinia Cafaro). Roberto tries to find out the secrets of Angela and Maria, while trying his best to keep Elena out of it, but can he really do that?

The defence of Security :: This is the fourth Italian movie on this website after Piranhas, Pinocchio and A Classic Horror Story, and my venture through the movies from Italy has only gotten more and more interesting – this movie should be a high point in that case. The thriller in this movie works smoothly, and even when slowing down, maintains its strength very well. The emotions are really strong, and there is an effective picture of individuals as well as their relationships, portrayed with efficiency around here. The visuals are nothing less than stunning, and that makes this particular beach town a place we should visit for sure. The pain, grief and regret in this movie can be felt, and at times, even seen. Marco D’Amore surely reflects the same, and it is a similar reflection that can be seen on the face of Valeria Bilello, but nothing matches the suffering of the character played by Tommaso Ragno, who seems to have no way out even at his old age. The movie is a poetry of grief set in motion, even though there is something to be relieved in the end.

Positives and negatives :: For those people who fail to get immersed in this world, this can feel slower and complicated – the attention is required. Some people might also want an exaggerated ending, but for everyone else, this feels close to reality. As the film stays close to one’s emotional with never overdoing the drama, the audience can easily go through what these character go through. Even when the movie shows that relationships are fragile, and pain and suffering becomes part of one’s life for no reason, there is always a chance for healing and redemption; but only those humans who take the right step can provide assurance about the same. The movie knows that lives can be ruined for no reason, or redeemed with care. To show the same, the movie has performers of different age groups, which serves perfectly – they let things unfold and come together in the end, and that works beautifully. There are not many movies which caught my interest like this in a long time other than the Chinese movie, The Soul, and this also serves as a reminder to me to watch more Italian movies – maybe even to visit the beautiful town of Forte dei Marmi in northern Tuscany of Italy.

The performers of the soul :: Marco D’Amore has a solid performance to his credit around here. The whole thing finds some good time resting on his capable shoulders. He goes through the whole situation in a very much believable as well as emotional manner, as the less celebrated hero whom the small town has always deserved. He plays a hardworking commoner whom we can recognize as our own. Even though not forced to go after truth, he becomes the truth seeker. Valeria Bilello and Maya Sansa plays the two women in the life of the main character. The former is the symbol of the protagonist’s future while the latter belongs to his past. Maya Sansa who plays his wife as part of a marriage which is breaking apart, depicts the ambitious and adamant lady well enough to leave an impression. She is the kind of lady who would do anything to reach the top of the food chain, no matter what loss she has to suffer in the process. The two makes the not-so-suitable marriage seem to work to the outside world, but it is evident that they are not even trying in reality. They do have a number of intense and emotional moments together.

Further performers of the soul :: Valeria Bilello has a perfect act performed here, as the struggling mother with two children, one of whom not liking or listening to her, and the other one not able to live without her being around him. She might also be playing the one character with whom we will be connecting with a lot of empathy, but is still left with less screen time in comparison to others. She seems to be the main character’s future, and has close and intimate moments with him – the protagonist is also very much serious with her. Ludovica Martino who plays the daughter, is the one girl who keeps feeling that she has been wronged by everyone, a job well reflected in her performance. It can be seen that her acts of rebellion means something in the end too. Beatrice Granno plays the girl wronged here, and she displays the pain that she always had to go through, really well, even though she could have been given chance for more. Silvio Muccino and Fabrizio Bentivoglio plays the roles with negative shades effectively. Tommaso Ragno is memorable at the man who is always in trouble, and wronged regularly.

How it finishes :: There are not many movies which serve as a perfect package like this one – you won’t be missing much with this film, and there is not much to complaint about it. Whatever you expect from a movie like this, can be seen here, worked out efficiently. An emotional adventure of a thriller with suspense and twists on one side has further reflections on the drama of humanity which it also has running. This is not that much of a well-known movie, and I was also not expecting this to be that good; but it serves something grand, which means that we have a film of quality here. There are so many characters with which you can relate, especially with grief and remorse like in the Spanish film Adios – we also see a lot of things happening with the characters, and none of them are exaggerated or beyond our grasp. As this tale unfolds with beautiful people in an even more beautiful landscape, you are always immersed in this one, no matter how much the pace changes. This is the kind of movie which Hollywood should also try, with all those ingredients including the special one.

Release date: 16th June 2021 (Netflix)
Running time: 118 minutes
Directed by: Peter Chelsom
Starring: Marco D’Amore, Valeria Bilello, Maya Sansa, Ludovica Martino, Beatrice Granno, Silvio Muccino, Tomasso Ragno, Giulio Pranno, Anna Della Rosa, Antonio Zavatteri, Lavinia Cafaro, Gaia Bavaro, Doris Von Thury

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Ek Villain

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ekvillain (2)

Vampire Owl :: Didn’t someone say that Riteish Deshmukh was very goood in this movie?

Vampire Bat :: Just a little better than Arjen Robben with a dive, I guess.

Vampire Owl :: If it is better than most of the football actors, we should surely watch it because it will be worthy of many awards.

Vampire Bat :: I heard it was just like I Saw the Devil.

Vampire Owl :: Well, I didn’t see that saw.

Vampire Bat :: Neither did I.

Vampire Owl :: Then I would say that watching this villany is necessary.

Vampire Bat :: As long as he doesn’t bite.

Vampire Owl :: That shouldn’t be a problem as this is not in 3D.

Vampire Bat :: Shraddha Kapoor in 3D was actually too good to be true!

[Enters the movie hall].

What is it about? :: Guru (Sidharth Malhotra) is a former gangster and assassin who has retired from his dangerous life of crime to live with his new found love Aisha (Shraddha Kapoor), but things take a big turn as she is murdered by an unknown assailant who enters her home, uses a screw driver and pushes her through the window. A CBI officer Aditya (Shaad Randhawa) takes charge of the situation being aware of what the former assassin is capable of, but that doesn’t prevent Guru from going after the clues. He first go to his former boss Ceaser (Remo Fernandes), but realizes that he didn’t have anything to do with the same. As he sits in a church looking at the crucifix, he notices a boy coming up and presenting a few of his toys to the statue which involved something from his house. By following the boy, he reaches the place of Rakesh Mahadkar (Riteish Deshmukh) who is the henpecked husband of Sulochana (Aamna Sharif) and an unsuccesful employee who is always scolded both at home and the office. But he doesn’t seem to be capable of anything like that, as he is always the victim, not someone who can harm even a mosquito. But such a visage was never going to confuse a professional killer like Guru, or was it?

The defence of Ek Villain :: The cast remains strong in the movie, especially the male leads, and it is good enough to draw the audience. The fact that it has enough material to work on from the South Korean flick is more of an advantage as not many people have watched that one. The movie successfully establishes a nice environment to work on, right in the beginning, and the point they stop at the interval is pretty nice. The romantic side has its good moments, most of them related to God and otherwise when they are in a song. Even though not really the kind of thing that suits a movie like this, the songs are actually good and are worthy of being in one’s USB device in the car. The cinematography is nice and the world around are nicely captured to the delight of the viewer’s eye. There is not much slow motion used and it is a good thing because there was going to be tendency. Our hero surely has some nice moments in a mental asylum, a hospital and a railway station where he scores in style. The thrills are mostly around our villain though, and the message of good being rewarded and bad being punished, along with the plight of the common man in a society which has nothing for him are nicely shown.

Claws of flaw :: The movie has not much idea about how the suspense is to be maintained and the thrills are to be boosted, as we know the killer too early as well as his motives. The story could have developed better, especially as the material of I Saw the Devil already available and ready to inspire. The path taken by the narrative to go back and forth doesn’t work that well with this one either, as this is the kind of movie which should work when the things to be revealed are not hidden and vice versa. Even the killings are taken care of without too much violence, may be fearing that the family audience will stay away. The director’s earlier venture of Murder 2 could handle the darker shades better, but not this one which tries to be too cute, even cuter than its own heroine. Shraddha Kapoor kind of ruins some significant light moments with a certain kind of overacting which makes one wonder if she is playing a mentally challenged girl, but not all the time for even she has her very small moments. Riteish’s character is also not without its flaws, but it is him who manages to handle it well within the limitations. He could have surely had better dialogues, after all he can do this villain stuff nicely.

Performers of the soul :: Among the star cast, Riteish Deshmukh was the one whose performance stood above the rest, not by much, but enough to be the star of the movie. I did expect some transformation like Vikram in Anniyan on a smaller scale, but that was not to be, but still his different character had moments to remember for the viewers. Sidharth Malhotra was good with his romantic side and just a little behind in the action scenes, but still lacked a bit in energy. Shraddha Kapoor is cute, and seems to think that she is acting in a possible Ashiqui 3, with that hangover which she still seems to show with some Ashiqui 2. I was confident that she will be a lot better in this movie, but it was sad to see that she decided to stick to the stereotype – it does suit her immensely, but not the character she was playing nor the style of the movie. I was particularly impressed with how well Aamna Sharif did so well with her role opposite our bad guy, the first time I was seeing this lady on the screen. Prachi Desai’s item number was pretty much beautiful. Remo Fernandes was okay in the smaller screen presence that he had, and Shaad Randhawa could have surely done nice with some more to do on screen.

Soul exploration :: One major question remains about what lead to the creation of the villain of Ek Villain. If it is about our hero-villain, we can say that it was the childhood situations, but for our real complete villain, it is the wickedness of the so called civilized section of the society who finds it nice to take on the people who are not as fortunate as they are. As said in Animal Farm, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”, and this is the situation that becomes the cause, and this inequality in his own class gives rise to this one serial killer who murders people who used bad words against him or even accuses him of not being good enough, including the situations when he just feels so due to his mood. The need for the words of love from his wife despite her yelling at him all the time becomes his anger which he brings out with the murders rather than being angry at her or anyone else. It is the need to get rid of the frustration which brings the villain to the point of no return, and changes him from a simple man to a serial killer, but as most of the other movies, here too bad deeds never go unpunished, and good deeds have some advantages. The movie does assert the need to be good and not to be abusive or use bad words at others, especially those who struggle to succeed in life.

How it finishes :: Ek Villain had the usual Bollywood things added to an otherwise rough and tough theme, which could have been avoided. There is one villain in every love story as they say, but this is still not a love story, and it surely should not have gone through that path – romance is not always a necessity, as it can always make way for many other things according to the genre and style of the movie. In a more violent and bloody movie, the thing more needed might be a screw driver, one would say. Zinda which released years ago had a better idea about it, which is why we can still afford to watch it with Oldboy of South Korea as well as Oldboy of the United States of America. Murder 2 with similar theme also holds an advantage over this. As Ek Villain had to make it romantic in its base just like the Malayalam movie Anwar did while copying The Traitor from Hollywood, it lost its most important part, which was the generation of fear which had to rise above everything else including romance. But with the success that the movie have managed in places with the exception of this part of India, one has to say that it did work in favour of them even as not for the same as a work. Still, next time may be the can innovate a lot more when coming up with such stuff.

Release date: 27th June 2014
Running time: 130 minutes
Directed by: Mohit Suri
Starring: Sidharth Malhotra, Shraddha Kapoor, Riteish Deshmukh, Aamna Sharif, Kamaal R Khan, Remo Fernandes, Shaad Randhawa, Prachi Desai

ekvillain copy

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.