BOTTOM LINE
Amateurish to the Core
PLATFORM, Run Time
Zee5: 7 episodes, 2 hours 16 minutes.
What Is the Show About?
Viraatapalem: PC Meena Reporting is set in 1990 in the namesake village. Mysterious deaths of newlywed brides occur in Viraatapalem back to back, making it a haunted place. No good deeds happen here, and people slowly leave it and settle in a nearby town.
Meena (Abhignya Vuthaluru) gets posted to Viraatapalem as a constable, and she immediately realises something is off in the village. The movie’s basic story is how she solves the mystery and puts an end to the crime.
Performances
Abhignya Vuthaluru, playing Meena, the main lead, is adequate for the part. The narrative doesn’t offer much in terms of performance, and it’s all about keeping an intrigue-carrying expression throughout. She is alright in that, but the problem is that Abhignya does the same even when it’s not required.
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Charan Lakkaraju plays a supporting lead kind of role despite having more screen time than many others. It’s the character’s passiveness, offering no excitement, that is the reason for such a feeling. There are no impactful moments that highlight the actor’s potential, even a bit. He just goes through the motions.
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Analysis
Poluru Krishna directs Viraatapalem: PC Meena Reporting. It is a simple murder mystery where the narrative is all about finding the killer and the motive.
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Viraatapalem: PC Meena Reporting opens on an intriguing note, showcasing the first incident. All the primary characters and the world are neatly established in the block. It sets things up neatly.
Without wasting much time, we immediately get into the thick of things with the introduction of Meena’s character. However, the major issue with Viraatapalem: PC Meena Reporting is also seen during the same time. It is the shoddy and amateur execution.
After the introduction, at no point does the narrative grab attention visually. For the content and the setting, it could have been far better, but what we get is a low-budget, short-film scale content and execution. In fact, some of those might be even better aesthetically.
Leaving aside execution, even the narrative follows a cliched path usually seen in such thrillers. Even the various red herrings and the obstructions are extremely routine for the space. The non-acting further doesn’t help the cause.
Despite such shoddy technical presentation and a formulaic narrative, what holds the attention, minimally, at least, is the main content. One wants to know who the person is behind all the deaths, and that angle solely pulls one through.
One just wants to see how things end and who the real killer is. In this aspect, Viraatapalem: PC Meena Reporting is okay. The ending reveal and the motive are alright, considering the lowered expectations.
Overall, Viraatapalem: PC Meena Reporting has a decent setup. However, the execution and the writing are so amateurish that it’s impossible to stick through, even for hardcore thriller lovers.
Performances by Others Actors
There is a fair amount of supporting cast in the movie, with a few known faces, as well. However, none have a well-defined role and only play cliche parts that the thriller narratives usually consist of. None manage to stand out and leave an impression as they merely follow the routine to make the narrative tick ahead.
Lavanya Sahukara is wasted in a character that starts interestingly, but is soon relegated to the backseat. Ramraju does the village head part for the umpteenth time. Gautham Raju does nothing in a pointless role. Surabhi Prabhavati is alright.
Music and Other Departments?
Mihiraamsh provides the music and the background score. They are lacklustre to say the least. The latter especially could have helped the narrative have intrigue, but the repetitive sounds and the predictable usage don’t help. Ram K Mahesh’s cinematography is poor. As mentioned previously, there is a short film level of quality, visually. GV Chandrasekhar keeps things at a basic level as an editor. In a way, it helps the narrative as it looks clean without any gimmicks. The writing, too, is entry-level stuff.
Highlights?
Basic Premise
Drawbacks?
Amateurish Execution
Technical Work
Writing
Predictable Narrative
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
No
Viraatapalem: PC Meena Reporting Web Series Review by M9
