'Evaru' Movie Review: A slick thriller which keeps you guessing till the end.

Cast: Adivi Sesh, Regina Cassandra, Naveen Chandra, Murali Sharma, Pavitra Lokesh, Raja Ravindra

Directed By: Venkat Ramji

The film starts in Coonoor where the police arrest Sameera (Regina Cassandra), the wife of a businessman after she is accused of murdering DSP Ashok Krishna (Naveen Chandra). In the media brief, she claims that Ashok tried to rape her and that she killed him in self-defense. Meanwhile, a corrupt police officer, Vikram Vasudev (Adivi Sesh) approaches her and asks her to come clean. She continues to maintain the same stand, but Vikram confronts her with a few proofs and raises doubts over her story. 

Meanwhile, a missing case comes to light and the story turns unpredictable. Who killed Ashok, what actually happened and how a family suffers because of another person’s bad decision forms the crux of the story.

The film is a remake of the Spanish thriller Contratiempo (The Invisible Guest) which was also made in Hindi as Badla starring Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu released this year. But Venkat Ramji changed the premise of this film which makes it different from both the Hindi and Spanish version.

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One of the best things about Evaru is that it does not spoon-feed you critical moments; it lets you think on your own.

The first half of Evaru involves quite some banter. Despite flash cuts to Sameera’s narrative, one would have to follow the chatter closely to make any sense of what is happening. As the film’s concept goes, there are many narratives to keep track of and it will be worth the attention. You will have no idea who the bad guy is and that secret is guarded thoroughly. But the narration is fast-paced without any forced or unwanted scenes, surprisingly making the length of the film below two hours.

Regina Cassandra performs extremely well and for a large part of the film, you cannot fathom whether she's guilty or not. Her character has a lot of layers to decode. Adivi Sesh as the corrupt cop Vikram is perfect as someone who doesn't shy away from asking uncomfortable questions and doesn't flinch when Sameera reveals intricate details.

The main advantage of Evaru is that it is verbose. You have to focus on the dialogues to notice the intricate details that are woven in into the screenplay. For those who have seen Badla and The Invisible Guest, Evaru might be underwhelming. But it still has a lot of moments that will take you by surprise.

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Cinematographer Vamsi Patchipulusu's work is impeccable in Evaru and there is a sense of darkness in the frames. Uncomfortably tight close-ups really try to bring the emotion out especially as Sameera gets hounded for evidence after her rape.  Composer Sricharan Pakala's background score and Garry's editing aids in the near-perfect making of Evaru.

Evaru is a truthful adaptation of the Spanish original. Unlike the Hindi version which was a mere copy, the Telugu version is different as Ramji gives a twist to the movie and full credit goes to director Ramji for his gripping narration. Adivi Sesh and Regina’s stunning performances hold one’s interest until the end. Evaru definitely deserves a watch and does not disappoint. Whodunit lovers this movie is for you.