Cheekatilo review: A generic and bland whodunit thriller
As I was watching 'Cheekatilo', starring Sobhita Dhulipala, memories of my school days and semester exams came flooding back. During those exams, we would frequently face a 10-mark question, but our understanding would only be sufficient for a brief 2-3 line response. To augment our answers, we would divide them into distinct sections and incorporate unrelated material to increase their length. In a similar vein, 'Cheekatilo' can be viewed as a 2-mark answer that has been expanded into a 10-mark answer, complete with unnecessary scenes, plotholes, and a forced plot twist at the climax intended to astonish the audience.
The story of director Sharan Koppisetty's 'Cheekatilo' is centered around Sandhya, a journalist portrayed by Sobhita Dhulipala, who abdicates her position in response to the industry's TRP-driven ethics, and how news channels prioritize sensationalized storytelling over the factual reporting of crime and its emotional impact on victims. In response, she launched a podcast called 'Cheekatilo' in collaboration with her friend and colleague Bobby, played by Aditi Myakal. However, tragedy befalls when Bobby and her boyfriend are brutally murdered, and the police investigation that follows reveals that Bobby was also raped prior to her murder. As Sandhya endeavors to identify the perpetrator, her investigation leads her to uncover a pattern linking multiple similar rapes and killings. Through her podcast, Cheekatilo, she shares these findings while also assisting the police in their investigation. Nevertheless, as Sandhya delves deeper into the investigation, secrets begin to surface, forcing her to confront the traumas of her past.
On paper, the premise of this Telugu whodunit holds promise, but its execution is lacking. It felt like during their teenage years co-writers Chandra Pemmaraju and Sharan Koppisetty conceived a basic premise and plot for the short film movie and composed a first draft. However, they eventually set the project aside. Years later, someone stumbled upon their initial draft, which, despite being riddled with plot holes, resonated with them. Consequently, the producsr approached writer and director to develop the script into a full-length screenplay for a two-hour film. As they endeavored to address the big plot holes (but definitely not as big as the potholes we see on our roads) and flesh out the narrative, they hastily added new scenes and underdeveloped supporting characters, ultimately exacerbating the existing issues and the end result is titled 'Cheekatilo'.
There is dialogue in the film- "He is definitely not dumb, we are dealing with a very dangerous criminal." I wish the writer-director had shared the same sentiment about the audience's intelligence when crafting the script, which is replete with illogical scenes. For example, Sandhya takes one toothbrush from the house of one of her suspects to crosscheck his DNA with the evidence. This scene is nonsensical because, logically speaking, how did she know that the toothbrush she picked was his? As a wealthy politician living with his family, how did she determine beforehand that this specific toothbrush belonged to him and not to another family member?
The above example is just one of many illogical scenes present in the film. As an edge-of-the-seat whodunnit thriller, it is imperative that the story becomes increasingly suspenseful, but the script follows familiar patterns such as reopened files and false leads that fail to generate any excitement. The film revolves around a woman's quest to find a serial killer and rapist who has assaulted over 20 women. The director explicitly conveys that the film is also a social commentary on the societal pressure that forces women and girls who have been physically harassed by men to remain silent. However, the film's attempt to engage the audience and convey a message about standing up for rape victims falls short due to oversimplification in the narrative. The narrative as a whole is unengaging and dull. The weak character development of the supporting cast, combined with a tone devoid of flavor, fails to evoke emotions during even the most tense moments. In simple words the entire script is as flat as Indian pitches during the IPL season. As anticipated, the climax features a significant plot twist regarding the serial rapist and killer, but it fails to redeem the film's overall poor quality and formulaic approach from start to finish.
The film's sole saving grace is Sobhita Dhulipala's solid performance, which effectively captures the determination of a woman seeking justice while grappling with past traumas. She adeptly balances her character's dual aspects without resorting to melodrama. Regrettably, the supporting cast, comprising her boyfriend, mother, and police officers, is relegated to one-dimensional portrayals. A more nuanced development of these supporting characters would have contributed to a more engaging cinematic experience.
To sum up, 'Cheekatilo' is merely a generic and lackluster whodunit thriller throughout.
Cast: Sobhita Dhulipala, Aamani, Esha Chawla, Jhansi, Vishwadev Rachakonda, Vadlamani Srinivas, Ravindra Vijay
Writers: Sharan Koppisetty, Chandra Pemmaraju
Director: Sharan Koppisetty
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