BOTTOM LINE
Staple Crime Story, but Watchable with Few Twists
PLATFORM
Prime Video
RUNTIME
Runtime: 3h 40m (7 Episodes)
What Is the Show About?
Naidu enters Isakapatnam as a humble port worker but upstages everyone with his greed for power. As years pass, he eliminates opponents and treats subordinates like filth. His daughter Bharathi carves her niche as an NGO activist while in love with a driver, Suri. Arch-rival Pratap awaits a chance to silence Naidu. Their lives intersect with an auto driver, Pedda, after a tragedy.
Performances
Aishwarya Rajesh, while portraying an ambitious, no-nonsense woman, makes the most of a chance to tap into the grey areas of Bharathi and delivers a confident performance. She handles the character’s transitions seamlessly. On the other hand, Samuthirakani is miscast in a straightforward antagonist role that lacks depth; his dialogue delivery also works against him.
Naresh Agastya continues to pick surprising characters, refusing to be stereotyped. While his performance might have worked better with greater intensity, he chooses restraint to play the role. Raja Chembolu and Sudhakar Komakula are impressive, though the latter clearly deserved a meatier part. Sunil’s role needed more sparks. Noted names like Rohini, Mime Gopi, Ravi Varma, Rajeev Kanakala, and Benarjee are largely wasted.
Analysis
Telugu filmmakers, rather than hunting for novel stories, are often eager to adapt standard templates with a few tweaks. The ingredients remain the same, but they are cooked with minor alterations. While many Telugu crime dramas have been set in and around the Visakhapatnam port over the years, Amazon Prime’s new show, Isakapatnam, places its grey characters in a raw, brutal setting.
Everyone in Isakapatnam harbours secret ambitions, even as Naidu rules the roost in the region. Naidu’s ambitious daughter Bharathi, while working at an NGO, uses optics smartly to orchestrate her popularity. While in love with a driver, Suri, she maintains good terms with Shekhar, the son of Naidu’s loyalist Kotaiah. Shekhar remains in Naidu’s good books, hoping for a career in politics.
An alcoholic auto driver, Pedda, is a rebel at heart and aims to be a corporator someday. A newly appointed cop, Varma, makes calculated moves to keep Naidu’s rise in check, even if his superiors advise against it. Naidu’s rival, Pratap, is no saint; he has a weakness for women while he plots the downfall of his nemesis. As their lives collide, bloodshed and lawlessness are on the rise in Isakapatnam.
Director-editor Garry BH, who had a rather unmemorable feature film debut with Spy, makes his OTT entry with Isakapatnam, a cold crime drama. While the steel plant/port backdrop realities feel fresh initially, the crux of the story deals with the power politics in the region. Not much of the show would’ve changed with a different location or nativity; the cultural detailing is relatively muted.
The creators understand the needs of the medium well in terms of packaging – placing key twists, hiding key information about character identities, and timing the reveals smartly across every episode. While the show excels at establishing the motives of its pivotal characters in tricky situations, what it lacks is a genuine emotional centre that could’ve tied these subplots together.
Every character, perhaps because of the show’s genre, feels like a figment of the writer’s imagination, perennially in a war zone, barely human enough. While one understands Bharathi’s dislike for her father and her hunger for power, every move of hers feels like a carefully planted plot device. What keeps the show going, though, is how Bharathi plans her own meteoric rise.
In comparison, you understand Pedda’s angst better, especially after what his family is put through. In the case of Naidu, there’s no scope for grey. He’s as dark as it gets, which makes him an unexciting central character for a crime show. One also wishes the viewer got to know Suri better than as a driver who has the hots for his boss’s daughter. Shekhar, as a character, is also not explored enough.
Despite its flaws, the performances are respectable, and a handful of power games remain interesting. It isn’t afraid to portray someone like Bharathi, who grows in the company of power-hungry men, becomes one among them, manipulates the world around her smartly, and is unapologetic about it. However, over time, the show slips into a convenient formula and turns complacent.
Isakapatnam is neither nail-biting nor a total bummer. It’ll neither leave you in awe nor disappoint. It keeps you interested for a few stretches, has a handful of interesting characters, and some decent twists, but it ultimately lacks consistency.
Music and Other Departments?
Pravin Lakkaraju’s music leaves little room for surprise or innovation, likely due to a beaten-to-death story that offers few novel situations or complex characters. The cinematography by Vamsi Patchipulusu passes muster, but the sepia colour-grading feels like a generic, standard creative choice.
Garry BH does better as an editor than as a director, as he manages to add bite to a straightforward tale through interesting, unexpected revelations across episodes. The writing is strictly average, which is particularly felt given a cast that promised much more. The run-of-the-mill, lazy action choreography is also a weakling.
Highlights?
Bharathi’s characterisation (i.e. Aishwarya Rajesh)
Smartly timed twists
Few good performances
Drawbacks?
Generic writing
Miscast actors
Absence of a strong emotional core
Did I Enjoy It?
Only in parts, but remains watchable generally
Will You Recommend It?
If you’re in the mood for a formulaic crime drama with a few surprises, decent cast and not-so-bad execution
Isakapatnam OTT Web Series Reviewed by M9 News
