Author – Rajeshwari
Divine versus evil is not a new theme. And in cinema, when it has been told in a million ways, recreated in multiple genres – be it horror or thriller – some of the films went on to become hits and superhit films, while many others bit the dust. The theme can lend itself to being imagined and re-imagined to create storylines that can be weaved, twisted and turned as one wishes in order to keep either the thrills or chills happening – after all, imagination has no bounds.
Agadha, written and directed by MS Raju, with Kamakshi Bhaskarla, Shravan Reddy and Ulka Gupta in the lead, is yet another story where the Godly forces, represented by a tall stone idol worshipped by a yogini called Mahadevi, have to limit the power of an evil force – powered by Kali – represented by a twelve-armed, tall, dark idol inside a forbidden cave.
The story sets in motion when three friends, who we understand love to shoot places famous for mystical things and mysteries, set out to explore the forbidden cave. Things, as expected, do not pan out well, and one thing leads to another – and their lives no longer remain the same. When the girl Mahima returns to her village, misfortune follows, leading to several unfortunate deaths and untoward incidents. Incidentally, Mahima is Mahadevi’s cousin, and it is up to her to check the evil force and protect her family.
The story is weaved to create chills and thrills that mostly were off the mark. Minus the core around which the story needs to be built, Agadha remains, for most parts, predictable. What is off-key with films is pitting the Gods against each other. Seriously, Gods Must Be Crazy to be represented that way.
The actors put out a decent performance. The background score or music does not have much going for this week’s release – Agadha, which is a timepass, no-brainer kind of a movie.
Excerpt: Agadha attempts to pit divine forces against an evil power, but despite a promising supernatural premise, the film remains largely predictable and fails to deliver the intended chills and thrills.
