'Chinna', the Telugu-dubbed version of 'Chittha' (Tamil), was released in theatres this Friday. Here is our review of the latest box-office release.
Plot:
Eeshwar (Siddharth) is the doting uncle of Sundari (Sahasra Shree), his school-going niece. Their love for each other is pure and unconditional; and since Sundari is the daughter of a single mom, she sees a loving guardian in him. When Sundari goes missing in a shocking turn of events, Eeshwar's world comes to a standstill. How he traces her, who is behind the kidnap, and what Eeshwar does after she is traced is what the film is about.
Post-Mortem:
When the Tamil original was released on September 28, the movie was met with top-tier reviews. Described as a heart-stopping thriller and more, the film came to be described as one of the most important Indian films of the year. At an event post the release of 'Chithha', in Hyderabad, Siddharth (who has also produced the movie) said that he doesn't think he will ever be able to better the film.
The promotions, the glowing Tamil reviews, the delayed release in Telugu owing to a raw deal given by distributors (who felt nobody would watch a Sid movie in theatres, as per Sid's own version), and the eventual release of the film in the Telugu States played their role setting the expectations. While 'Chinna' appeared to be a niche film, its content is mainstream and engaging enough to warrant commercial success.
In one of the pre-kidnap scenes, we see Sid's character roughing up a family friend in a fit of rage. The roughing-up comes so suddenly that the audience finds the depiction both shocking and whistle-worthy. When Eeshwar is wronged, the tone of the film undergoes transformation before coming to the actual plot point. This choice made by director Arun Kumar is debatable. While the episode involving Eeshwar and a girl child in the neighbourhood is not central to the film and might seem unnecessary, it serves the purpose of making 'Chinna' look like a thriller with its own unexpected plot points.
The second half is constantly engaging. The modus operandi deployed by the police with the help of Eeshwar to trace Sundari has been executed well. Although there are no novel ideas in this segment, the execution and the underlying emotion keep the audience's interest intact. A complaint is that the ideas around tracing the middle-aged predator are simplistic.
This one is Siddharth's best performance in years. After a failure like 'Thakkar', he redeems himself and how! Baby Sahasra is cute and looks like that kid next door. Nimisha Sajayan, as Eeshwar's love interest, comes with a track of her own. She gets to mouth thought-provoking lines about men. Vishal Chandrashekhar's background score induces tension. Balaji Subramanyam's cinematography and Suresh A. Prasad's editing are apt.
Closing Remarks:
'Chinna' makes for a disturbing watch (in a positive way). This film deserves accolades and commercial success.
