Movie Name : Ghaati
Release Date : Sep 5, 2025
Cast : Anushka Shetty, Vikram Prabhu, Chaitanya Rao Madadi, Jagapathi Babu, etc.
Director : Krish Jagarlamudi
Music Director : Sagar Nagavelli
Andhrawatch.com Rating : 2/5
Story:
Sheelavathi (Anushka Shetty) and Desiraju (Vikram Prabhu) were once part of this trade. But after Desiraju’s father passed away, he promised his mother to leave the Ghaati life behind. Moving on, Sheelavathi works as a bus conductor while Desiraju becomes a lab technician.
Meanwhile, a determined police officer (Jagapathi Babu) is on a mission to wipe out the ganja mafia. Secretly, Sheelavathi and Desiraju experiment with the Sheelavathi strain, creating a new liquid variant that turns into a highly profitable venture.
Their success draws the attention of local crime bosses Kaastala Naidu (Ravindra Vijay) and his brother Kundula Naidu (Chaitanya Rao). Initially pretending to form a partnership, they betray and brutally kill Desiraju.
This betrayal changes everything for Sheelavathi. Why did she return to the ganja trade despite vowing to quit? Did the police succeed in dismantling the illegal network? Can Ghaatis truly break free from this cycle? And what’s the deeper reason behind Sheelavathi being named after the finest cannabis strain? The answers unfold only on the big screen.
Review:
Anushka Shetty marks a notable comeback in Ghaati, most notably in the action sequences where her presence as a performer and the scope we get to see her in some all action sequences is worth the time. Chaitanya Rao is effective as the lead villain.
Ravindra Vijay, as the negative supporting character, is convincing. As Anushka’s on-screen partner, Vikram Prabhu is credible when needed to be romantic or intense. Jagapathi Babu is satisfactory as the police officer. The rest of the supporting cast were competent.
The film marks Anushka’s return to a female-led narrative. It begins by highlighting the societal impact of cannabis, though these opening scenes are loosely connected to the main storyline. The first half primarily focuses on the love story between Desiraju and Sheelavathi, interspersed with glimpses of the Ghaati life and the local cannabis trade. By the interval, their secret business and conflicts with local villains add tension, particularly following Desiraju’s untimely death.
The second half leans heavily on action, tracking Sheelavathi’s journey for revenge. Some sequences, such as Anushka’s dramatic speeches, appear to be standard and lack a long-lasting emotional effect. Although the film has a social impact about cannabis and touches on it as a theme, it is not fully developed; it makes it seem like a weak theme. Many scenes seem created mostly for building Anushka’s character rather than storytelling, as much emphasis is placed on grandeur and things looking nice rather than actually developing the story. This made the story predictable at certain points.
Chintakindi Srinivas Rao’s story lacks punch, and Krish’s direction doesn’t fully enhance it. Sai Madhav Burra’s dialogues are occasionally impactful but not consistently engaging. From a technical standpoint, Vidya Sagar’s music and background score fit well in the film, and Manojh Reddy Katasani’s cinematography is visually alluring in portraying the Ghaati landscapes. The production values are decent, but the pacing could have improved with some tighter editing.
Overall Ghaati is a looker, with Anushka’s acting being its best feature. But poor storytelling, clichéd sequences, and shallow emotional content make it a visually engaging movie that fails to engage on the story level.