Cheekatilo movie review: Sobhita Dhulipala thriller is earnest but rudimentary

Cheekatilo kicks things off with a murder taking place decades prior in rural Andhra Pradesh, before reaching the present where a serial rapist/murderer is on the loose. His modus operandi: attacking women in the dead of night and tucking in jasmine flowers in their hair after murdering them. Sandhya gets involved in the hunt for the killer when a dear friend falls prey, leading her to use the podcast (titled Cheekatilo) to start an unusual investigation.

The truth-seeking journalist trope is as commonplace in cinema as the mystery-thriller genre that employs it tirelessly. Made as a straight-to-OTT release (on Amazon Prime Video), the film arrives at a time when the true-crime genre is at a trough in the cycle after having witnessed a huge surge over the last few years. Sharan Koppisetty and co. seem well aware of the course that they must follow, and Cheekatilo is made without many frills at a crisp runtime of 126 minutes. The problem, though, and a big one at that, is that their film neither attempts to chart a new path for itself nor does it work neatly within the genre conventions, leaving behind an uninspired, cliche-ridden effort.

The chief concern lies in the artifice with which the world is built. The newsroom politics and the pressures they breed don’t seem to emerge from a real world. Sandhya’s growth as a podcast host is unbelievably quick and effortless, while her investigation into the serial killer’s activity feels easy and far too convenient. The way she collects evidence, the risks she gets away with, and the overall manner in which she navigates a completely unfamiliar terrain – Cheekatilo prefers to go through a mandatory checklist instead of allowing itself the chance to create a convincing and authentic milieu.

In turn, almost every character buckles under the weight of the formulaic approach. Vishwadev Rachakonda, as Sandhya’s fiancé Amar, predictably shuffles between being well-meaning and annoyed without any solid role or purpose. Ravindra Vijay plays the template evil and lustful politician, whereas Chaithanya Krishna plays an upright police officer, Rajeev, who aids Sandhya in her journey, but comes across as paper-thin. Jhansi in the role of a nagging mother, veteran actor Sri Lakshmi as the token grandmother, and yesteryear leads Aamani and Suresh as a congenial mother-in-law and a dubious top cop, respectively; the ensemble of many noteworthy names is given little to no challenge in the film. Vadlamani Srinivas, though, walks away with an exciting part for himself, but there isn’t a lot to write home about here.

Sobhita Dhulipala, on the other hand, gets to bite into a character that is layered and vulnerable. Her Sandhya is someone who is constantly confronting her past, and we get to see glimpses of an episode involving a movie theatre packed with men and a young girl caught in that sea. It wouldn’t be a giveaway to say that Sandhya encounters in that crowded place what practically every woman does in the form of molestation, but writers Koppisetty and Chandra Pemmaraju are thoughtful enough to keep that incident as the emotional anchor of their film. Sandhya finding resonance in the experiences of the victims of the case she is investigating, becomes the defining core of Cheekatilo, and it is here that the essence is found – the title itself finds a complexity to suggest that the darkness isn’t just an opportunity for ghastly crimes, but also a place to hide in from further damage.

Also Read – Chatha Pacha movie review: Roshan Mathew, Arjun Ashokan’s actioner is a thrilling tribute to WWE-obsessed childhoods, but fails as a film

The writing, at the same time, could and should have extracted more drama from the intensity lurking underneath the story. There is a stuntedness about the narrative that doesn’t permit the scenes to breathe or stretch to their comfort, and this also has an impact on the tone of the film. A mystery-thriller is an exercise in mood and temperament before anything else, and Cheekatilo could have managed to accentuate these facets only by allowing its world and the characters inhabiting it more room to be themselves.

Instead, it meddles a tad too much and ends up not having a personality of its own, ultimately dispensing meek thrills amid a few fleeting promises. Sobhita Dhulipala tries her best and Sricharan Pakala’s background score lifts the material whenever it can, but Cheekatilo still doesn’t soar as high as it could have.

Cheekatilo movie cast: Sobhita Dhulipala, Viswadev Rachakonda, Chaitanya Visalakshmi, Esha Chawla, Jhansi, Aamani, Vadlamani Srinivas, Ravindra Vijay
Cheekatilo movie director: Sharan Koppisetty
Cheekatilo movie rating: 2.5 stars