Movie Name : Thammudu
Release Date : July 04, 2025
Cast : Nithiin, Sapthami Gowda, Laya, Varsha Bollamma, Saurabh Sachdeva, Swasika, Hari Teja, Srikanth Iyyengar, Temper Vamshi, Chammak Chandra, etc.
Director : Sriram Venu
Music Director : B. Ajaneesh Loknath
Andhrawatch.com Rating : 2.25/5
Story:
Nithiin plays Jai, a passionate young man with dreams of becoming a world-class archery champion. However, no matter how hard he trains, his focus wavers, and his aim consistently misses. What seems like a sporting hurdle soon reveals itself to be rooted in deep emotional trauma from Jai’s past.
Tortured by recollections of a family tragedy that had befallen his sister Jhansi Kiranmayi (Laya), Jai makes it a point to find out the truth. Goaded all along by his best friend Chitra (Varsha Bollamma), Jai discovers that his sister is alive and living in a remote village named Ambaralagudi. Eager to find his sister and mend old scars, Jai takes a poignant and thrilling ride.
Parallel to this emotional quest, a catastrophic factory blast in Vizag captures national attention. As the dust settles, the factory’s owner, Azarwal (Saurabh), attempts to dodge accountability and cover up his role in the tragedy. But how is this industrial disaster connected to Jai’s long-lost sister? What threats lie ahead for her? And will Jai be able to expose the truth before it’s too late? All these will be revealed as the story plays out on the screen.
Review:
Nithiin is back to the big screen with a genuine attempt, and his performance has some decent impact, especially during the first half. Be it high-octane action scenes or catchy song segments, he is able to engage viewer attention when the script permits. His rapport with co-star Varsha Bollamma is fairly good, and her participation in emotional and action scenes gives depth to her character.
Varsha finds a substantial role in the movie and has a natural rapport on screen with Nithiin. Laya, after a lengthy gap in Telugu films, makes an impressive comeback with her sensitive performance. Her character carries depth, and she brings it to the screen with elegance and maturity.
Of the cast, Saurabh who plays the villain has the best written role in the film. He has a serious and believable performance which adds some weight to the story.
Even with a promising cast, the movie falters in its essential aspects. The main problem is the writing. The narrative is shallow in terms of emotions, suspense, and interest. Although the first half is fairly decent, the second half goes haywire with nonsensical plot twists and badly written scenes that do not resonate with the audience.
One of the jarring standout examples is a fight where Nithiin battles in the midst of blazing infernos while a woman is having labor pains — a sequence that utterly lacks purpose or believability. Likewise, the climax, which is a landmine sequence, comes across as similarly contrived and over-the-top. These sequences not only strain credulity but also detach the viewer from the emotional landscape the movie attempts to create.
Jai’s character arc begins in eye-catching fashion but stagnates because of improper writing. The villain’s arc begins with potential appeal but lacks impact because of missing layers. The scenes with Sapthami Gowda are disappointing, and her dialogue delivery paired with the lack of characterization greatly takes away from the viewing experience.
Anjanish Loknath’s music is another letdown. While a few songs are decent, the background score is repetitive and uninspired, diminishing the impact of critical scenes. From the technical aspects, production values are good. The movie is visually lavish, and the production design contributes to the visual charm. But the VFX disappoints in many of the important scenes, and the editing could have been much tighter to enhance pace and understanding.
Director Venu Sriram appears to have set out to tell an emotionally symbolic story between a brother and sister — one of them a warrior, the other, the conscience. But in execution, the film falls short of the emotional connect and doesn’t offer engaging story-telling. What could be a nuanced, emotionally engaging film becomes flat and aimless.
All in all While having commendable performances and good visuals, the movie lacks a poor storyline, failure to be emotionally involving, and logic-bending instances — thus making it one of Venu Sriram’s weakest.