Kishkindapuri Review: A Haunted Tale That Misses Its True Calling
A Tour That Turns Terrifying
Raghav (Bellamkonda Sai Sreenivas) and Mythili (Anupama Parameswaran) work for a company that organizes ghost-themed tours in the historic town of Kishkindhapuri. Beyond being colleagues, the two are also in love.
On one such trip, they guide a group of visitors to a long-abandoned radio station, Suvarnamaya. Out of nowhere, an antique radio flickers to life, filling the hall with eerie sounds. As fear spreads, Raghav senses the presence of something supernatural and rushes to get everyone out.
But the horror doesn’t end there. One after another, people who entered Suvarnamaya begin dying under mysterious circumstances. Who is orchestrating these deaths? Why are the visitors being targeted? Can Raghav and Mythili uncover the chilling truth behind the cursed station?
A Title That Promises More Than It Gives
The name Kishkindapuri carries mythological weight, derived from the Kishkinda Kanda of the Ramayana. However, the film barely touches upon that link. Instead, the narrative goes in a direction that feels disconnected, and by the second half, the story stretches into territory that seems exaggerated and out of proportion.
A Familiar Ghost-Human Formula
At the heart of it, the movie treads on a well-worn path: a spirit with unfinished business, humans caught in the crossfire, and the inevitable struggle to defeat the supernatural. While nothing in the story feels groundbreaking, the screenplay does add some grip by pacing the ghost’s backstory in an engaging manner.
Performances and Characters
Bellamkonda Sreenivas shows visible improvement in his acting, carrying Raghav with more conviction than in his earlier works.
Anupama Parameswaran delivers a steady and believable performance.
Adi’s comedy swings between entertaining and cringe-worthy, diluting tension at times.
Sandy Master, fresh off international recognition from Lokah, impresses again in Visravaputra, which feels more cinematic and polished than his previous work.
Visuals and Execution
The film falters in its visual effects. Certain sequences come across as amateurish, though a few are handled decently. The first half builds some intrigue with its setting and atmosphere, but the second half collapses into clichés, predictable scares, overused tropes, and nothing that leaves a lasting impression.
Kishkindapuri review: Final Verdict
Kishkindapuri is a film with potential, weighed down by its overused horror formula and a title that raises expectations the story never truly meets. A partly promising first half and decent performances are undone by a routine second half and lackluster execution. In the end, it’s yet another horror outing that feels familiar rather than fresh.
Rating: 2/5
