Watch it like a zombie

Cast: Teja Sajja, Daksha Nagarkar and Anandhi
Direction: Prasanth Varma
Rating: 2.5

Zombie Reddy is Prashanth Varma’s third outing and he picked the zombie genre which is a first of its kind for Telugu cinema. The trailer was impressive and what is expected from the film is nothing short of a hilarious and a fun ride. But Zombie Reddy injects the virus into the audience and you turn into a zombie mode while watching the film.

Zombie Reddy movie review: Mario (Teja), a game designer, along with a bunch of friends, travels to Kurnool to attend a friend’s wedding. This is in the post lockdown timeline. A scientist invents a corona vaccine and that backfires creating zombies. A zombie outbreak ensues. How Mario and his friends come out of this pandemic situation forms the rest of the story.

 

The plot and premise of the film might look interesting on the paper but the whole thing couldn’t be translated well on to the screen. The film definitely has its moments. The first half is tad long and takes a sweet time to get to the core. By that time, your interest levels drip down. The comedy in the second half is over the top and fails to fly most of the time. You feel as if something great is about to unfold on screen, but end up getting gory episodes and comic portions that make you cringe. It’s better not to point at any logic in the film. That’s a mere waste of time.

 

Teja Sajja is decent in portraying a youngster trying to save his friend affected by the virus. But, he couldn’t pull off heavy dose action sequences well. Daksha plays a typical youngster addicted to mobiles and gaming. Anandhi dons a traditional look and is adequate in her role. Getup Srinu adds a few bits of laughter whereas other comedians are wasted. Other characters make a blink and a miss appearance and don’t add to the narrative.

Zombie Reddy excels in the technical department. The background score is impressive and cinematography creates the right mood for a film in this genre. The editing could have been crisper, especially in the first half. The overstretched climax with a force-fitted devotional touch hints at a probable sequel for the film.

All in all, Zombie Reddy may not live up to the hype created through the posters and trailer. But what’s need to appreciated is the novel idea of making a zombie film in Telugu. It’s good to experiment by blending the zombie, action/faction genre, but it’s not good to create contrivances in the name of giving something new. As you are deep into the film, you ask a question to self. What if the zombies are replaced by ghosts? Does the film make sense? Questions, questions, everywhere!