Movie Name : Odela 2
Release Date : April 17, 2025
Cast : Tamannaah Bhatia, Hebah Patel, Vasishta N Simha, Murali Sharma, Sharath Lohithaswa, Yuva, Naga Mahesh, Vamsi, Gagan Vihari, Surender Reddy, Srikanth Iyengar, Pooja Reddy, Bhupal etc.
Director : Ashok Teja
Music Director : B. Ajaneesh Loknath
Andhrawatch.com Rating : 2.25/5
Story:
In Odela-2, the spine-chilling story starts with the murder of Tirupati (Vasishta N Simha) by his wife Radha (Hebah Patel). While the villagers celebrate at first, something goes terribly wrong when his corpse is brought in for a post-mortem. In an attempt to prevent his troubled soul from finding peace, the villagers conduct a ritual that curses his soul. This act releases Tirupati’s revengeful spirit, which starts haunting the village with ghastly effects.
Life in the village returns to normal after his death with marriages taking place again. But the happiness proves to be short-lived as Tirupati’s ghost starts going for newlywed brides and killing them brutally on their wedding nights. Determined to bring an end to the murders, the villagers turn to Radha, who lies imprisoned. Radha discloses that her sister, Bhairavi (Tamannaah), a dedicated Naga Sadhu, has lived her life in pursuit of spirituality to meet Lord Shiva. Equipped with her divine powers, Bhairavi enters the village to battle the evil spirit.
The heart of Odela-2 lies in whether Bhairavi can overcome the dark forces and bring peace to the tormented village. Will her strength be enough to defeat Tirupati’s vengeful ghost, or will the curse continue to wreak havoc on the villagers? The story unravels in a supernatural battle between good and evil, making for an intense and suspenseful watch.
Review:
Odela-2 is based around two main protagonists, played by Vasishta N Simha and Tamannaah, and both of these actors give really strong performances. Vasishta is absolutely stunning as the antagonist. His playing of Tirupati is quite possibly the best part of the film, and particularly during scenes that are fueled by horror. Vasishta plays the sinister side of his character with immense skill, bringing the audience directly into the web of the scary story.
Tamannaah, as Bhairavi, a Naga Sadhu, dominates the screen in the second half of the film. Her entry changes the tone of the film, and her emotional depth and authoritative presence bring a lot of weight to the narrative. The climax of the film really highlights her acting skill, and her performance is one of the positives of the film.
In spite of the good acting, the movie fails to engage the audience with its predictable plot. Although it makes an attempt at horror and suspense, it fails to achieve its potential. The scenes turn out to be predictable, and the suspense lacks the thrill usually found in a horror movie.
Tamannaah’s character progression, although great, doesn’t deliver the emotional impact it had the potential to. There are certain scenes that lack the full impact, affecting the emotional attachment to the audience. The inclusion of songs, although not entirely out of place, disrupts the pace and lowers the overall tempo of the film. Additionally, the supporting actors, played by Murali Sharma and Hebah Patel, could have been given greater depth to make them more pivotal to the narrative.
Technically, the film’s production values are fine, but the VFX should have been even better to help overall visuals. The music by Ajaneesh Loknath, though, is a powerful emotional support to some of the plot turning points and makes the story more endearing. The visual presentation is even improved with the work by Soundar Rajan, improving the cinema quality. The editing, however, could have been more crisp to make the pace of the film finer.
While Odela-2 has the potential with its idea, the direction of director Ashok Teja doesn’t quite deliver its full promise. The film could have benefited with greater attention given to pacing, character development, and emotional depth. If the focus on these aspects had been greater, then Odela-2 could have been a more engaging and memorable cinematic experience.
Overall, Odela-2 is a decent supernatural horror drama, but it lacks the intensity and emotional depth to make it truly captivating. It’s a watchable film but doesn’t fully deliver on its potential.