29 December 2019
Hyderabad

Twists and turns. Surprises you never expected. The good guy being the bad one. The bad guy being the good one. Nail-biting moments. And something exciting to talk about later.

All these things just come together to make a thriller thrilling! But that’s one reason why it’s challenging to pull it off. With the risk of making it caricaturish and confusing the audience, it indeed is quite a big deal if one is able to make something that’s engaging in the genre that is extremely versatile in its limitations.

Luckily for us, 2019 was that year when we got some good taste of the genre. Here are six films from the category that created a buzz for all the right reasons…

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A fast-paced investigative thriller, this film introduced many of us to the concept of lucid dreaming. In Telugu cinema, it’s often hard to find a thriller that doesn’t distract you. Especially when it stars a commercial cinema hero like Kalyan Ram. But this one just does that! It’s to the point and is gripping through and through.

There are some cracks here and there with some missed logics but that doesn’t come in the way of making this a thriller that’s downright true to its genre and engaging to the hilt.

While Nivetha Thomas shines in her performance, Kalyan Ram too delivers one of his best as an investigative journalist. This one was a film that deserved being talked about a little more than it actually managed.

Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya
If making a thriller is not easy, what’s tougher is combining it with comedy! And Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya got that combination so right that we are still in awe of the simplistic brilliance of the detective mystery. We see a very interesting character for the lead in Naveen as he speaks too much, is so full of himself and as dective-like as you read in the story books in childhood.

Packed with surprises through and through, the film explores a very fresh milieu like Nellore – a place rarely seen on Telugu cinema screen – as the backdrop.

The film intelligently uses people’s blind belief in superstitions as the final nail in the coffin and the big mystery-solving process, much to the relatability factor.

Brochevarevarura
This was another crime comedy that left us in awe this year. A simple and light-hearted comedy at the outset, Brochevarevarura was a suspenseful thriller that kept us engaged till the end even as we laughed out loud.

A taut screenplay, very few characters and a simple yet thrill-ridden story was all it took to get the audience raving about this one. Imagine a stage kidnap drama gone wrong when the kidnap becomes real!

What worked well for the film was its simplicity and flawless execution that was aided brilliantly by the lead cast’s performances.

Evaru
We already noted in a previous article that actor Adivi Sesh has become the go-to guy when you want to see a film that bends the mind. And Evaru was one such slick thriller that kept the mystery alive till the end.

If you hadn’t watched the original, there was no way you could guess what was happening next. That is surely the quality of a thriller that works. Having said that, Evaru does attempt to detach itself from the original by making tweaks that surprisingly work.

Gripping to the core and paired with brilliant performances by Sesh, Regina and Naveen Chandra, this one was a film that kept the cinema halls full for days together!

Rakshasudu
While the most surprising element in this film was the performance by Bellamkonda Sai Srinivas who gave his best ever, the film’s plot in itself was a riveting one.

Gruesome murders, a villain that makes you shiver and a man who’s working hard to connect the dots despite his limitations. All this made for a perfect formula for keeping the audience hooked till the very end. What worked well for the film is that it had a taut screenplay and an engaging story to tell.

For anyone who has watched the original in Tamil, they’d definitely be able to appreciate how it was remade well without taking away the soul.

Mathu Vadalara
A dark film on drugs that can be appealing to all strata of the audiences is a tough card to play. But in this one director Ritesh not just does it, but he does it well. And that too with the aid of a brilliant cast and crew.
Part trippy and part comical, Mathu Vadalara is the film that brings forth a lot of freshness in every aspect. From pop culture references through the film, to a taut screenplay, this one wins big time in being a harbinger of new age cinema.