BOTTOM LINE
Bland and Unengaging
RATING
2/5
PLATFORM
DISNEY PLUS HOTSTAR
What Is Series About?
Virat, a police officer, loses his wife Anjali in a naxal attack, leaving him stranded with a daughter. Making matters worse, he’s diagnosed with a life-threatening ailment and can only survive upto two years. He shifts base to a village in Araku, where he stays with his friend Bharat’s family. In a village plagued by a series of killings, another tragedy strikes Virat’s door. Virat is here to find answers in Harikatha (Sambhavami Yuge Yuge).
Performances
The performances are generally good, though the same cannot be said about the characterisation. Rajendra Prasad is perfectly cast as a theatre veteran, who tactfully seeks an innovative outlet to display his suppressed anger. Sriram yet again proves to be a valuable performer, slipping into the role of an ailing father effortlessly and showcasing his angst as a family man. Divi Vadthya, Ambati Arjun and Suman Jha provide formidable support to the leads too.
Analysis
Redemption thrillers wrapped in a supernatural/mythological exterior revolving around rituals and superstitions are the toast of the season in Telugu cinema and on OTT. Joining an ever-growing list of titles like Vikkatakavi, Brinda, Virupaksha and Maa Oori Polimera is Hotstar’s new show Harikatha (Sambhavami Yuge Yuge) starring Rajendra Prasad, Sriram and others in key roles.
Harikatha’s storytelling has no major tweaks. The director introduces various key characters in the story, providing a glimpse of their world—centred on the idea of dharma, mythological tales, plays, and a female soothsayer. A series of killings sends shivers down the villagers’ spines, and it inevitably has a link with a local drama troupe. One of the crimes affects the protagonist as well.
As you would expect from a story around mythology in a primitive setting, there’s a desperate attempt to pass such tales as history (unsurprising in our political scenario), ayurveda is presented as a panacea for all ills and superstition is valued over reason. The connection between the murders and the culprits is too obvious – one just has to play the waiting game to know their motive and the backstory.
In addition to the murders within the village, another subplot unfolds around Das, a juvenile criminal, who’s put behind bars for a murder and returns from jail after a long time. The show ultimately bridges the worlds of Virat, Das and the village together. Time and again, the mythological parallels between the killer and the various avatars of Vishnu are reiterated, to justify the former’s motive.
Harikatha is basic and superficial to be a quality revenge thriller, where neither the drama nor the thrills are its strengths. While it’s understandable that the show creators are more interested in establishing the mythological angle in the story to the killings than suspense-building, the treatment is too straightforward and predictable – everything is spoon-fed and handed out too conveniently.
The show takes too long a time to state the obvious and portray the killer’s modus operandi. Even on an emotional level, it’s hard to invest in the characters and their traumas – the storytelling is packed with done-to-death tropes and has a make-believe quality. In times when audiences are exposed to taut thrillers within and beyond the country, such lazy writing can’t be an excuse.
It has become extremely fashionable for writers/directors to paint the stories of criminals in a sympathetic light while portraying the system and a discriminative society as the true villains. Harikatha would’ve at least worked better if it chose to present a balanced perspective between right and wrong, without merely glorifying vengeance.
Harikatha is only interested in capitalizing on the popularity of supernatural thrillers and ultimately retells the same old story. The intention of holding a mirror to a divisive society through mythology is its only redeeming feature, and it remains watchable primarily due to the cast and their performances.
Music and Other Departments?
Suresh Bobbili makes the most of the opportunity to translate many layers within the story into a musical form. The intensity of the score in crucial junctures is certainly worthy of praise. Kiran Mamidi’s production design is another highlight among the technical contributions, ensuring adequate authenticity to the setting, brought alive well through Vijay Ulaganath’s cinematography. The VFX work is neat too.
Highlights?
Performances of Rajendra Prasad, Sriram
Mythological angle to the story
Technical finesse
Drawbacks?
Devoid of a strong emotion, thrills
Inability to surprise a viewer
Has nothing new to tell in terms of story
Did I Enjoy It?
Not really, just a bit here and there.
Will You Recommend It?
Not much, unless you have plenty of time and low expectations.
Harikatha Telugu Webseries Review by M9
