Piita Kathalu Review: Semi engaging and the rest Boring

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Pitta Kathalu Movie Review

Filmmakers Tharun Bhascker Dhassyam, Nandini Reddy, Nag Ashwin, and Sankalp Reddy have come up with a Netflix anthology titled Pitta Kathalu. Unlike the rumours, Pitta Kathalu is not the remake of Netflix's Lust Stories. The film has a completely new set of stories with different backdrops. Amala Paul, Ashwin Kakumanu, Eesha Rebba, Jagapathi Babu, Lakshmi Manchu, Saanve Megghana, Sanjith Hegde, Shruti Haasan, Naveen Kumar, Satya Dev, Srinivas Avasarala, and Ashima Narwal, amongst others that are a part of the film. The film is currently streaming on Netflix. The movie is engaging with a few stories and boring with the rest.

Pitta Kathalu Movie Review: Synopsis

From secrets to lies to jealousy and control, four stories in this anthology film explore the darker and deceptive sides of love. Adulterous, Agonizing, Downright artificial. Not all love stories can be romantic. This anthology film tries to explore the same. This anthology film deals with four different women, and their journeys of love and betrayal. The common thread among all these stories is their tenacity when it comes to challenging norms.

Pitta Kathalu Movie Review: Story & Performances

Ramula is the title of Tharun Bhascker's short story and it is the first among the four. Abhay Bethiganti, Lakshmi Manchu and Saanve Megghana played the leads in it. The short deals with the love between Abhay and Saanve. Saanve plays Ramula in the short and when differences pop up between them, Swaroopakka (Lakshmi Manchu), a local politician enters between them. With a proper mix of regional politics and the complex nature of humans when it comes to love, the short explores a unique yet realistic dimension of love in a rural backdrop. The short is engaging, relatable, gripping, moving, and the best of all the four. Tharun who comes from the background of short films knows where to begin and where to end. He used the limited runtime format so well to come up with an engaging story. The three lead actors have given their best for the film. Abhay and Saanvee need a special shoutout. Lakshmi Manchi attempted something new and excelled in the same.

Meera is the title of short that Nandini Reddy directed. The short deals with the insecurity in love. When a husband reads his novelist wife's excerpts of a story, he starts suspecting the presence of another man in her life. These insecurities can lead to the worst of destinations. Nandini Reddy had tried to explore the same. She is another director in this series after Tharun, to use the runtime perfectly and coming up with an engaging and compact story that will leave a positive impression. For someone like her who does rom-com, this is a completely new court. Yet, Nandini delivered her best. The director used her story-telling skills so well in transporting through the emotions that get generated with usual conflicts in a married relationship where doubt plays the villain. Amala Paul displayed a brilliant performance in the film and she gets great support from the talented cast Jagapathi Babu, Vamsee Chaganti, Sunaina, and Ashwin Kakamanu. They all played well. X Life is Nag Ashwin's short. Shruti Haasan and Sanjith Hegde played the lead in the short. Nag Ashwin who directed successful films Yevade Subrahmanyam and Mahanati failed completely in appealing to the audience with this story. Far from reality, Nag Ashwin comes up with something that we never expect from him. The problem is not just that but he fails with his experiment. Never does this story actually moves the audience. The love he tried to project in the story is artificial and it also has elements related to technology and it just did not fit in this space. Nag Ashwin also started off with something and drove it in a manner that everything goes for a toss. He could not tell a story in a limited time which can stay with us for at least some time. Although Shruti Haasan tried to deliver her best, because of poor execution, her performance looks artificial. Sanjith Hegde is a wrong casting choice. He has talent but someone familiar could have added value to the screen. The last and the final episode in this anthology film is titled Pinky. Sankalp Reddy is the film's director. From someone who made brilliant films Ghazi and Antariksham, it is easy to deal with the subject called Love. But just like Nag Ashwin, Sankalp also loses grip in the storytelling. The short deals about interpersonal relationships in an unrealistic manner. What should have been so connecting has failed to establish a connection with the viewers. The short dwell with the past and present and the emotions between it but the director has failed to make his mark and disappoints in the end. Satyadev and Eesha Rebba did a fine job but the short could have been better.

Pitta Kathalu Movie Review: Verdict

Technically, the film looks sound. The quality of the film is exceptional. Great care has been taken in making the film. The production values are grand. The camera work in every story is grand. Mickey J Meyer, Vivek Sagar, Prashanth Vihari, Sanjith, and Soorya composed the music. The music did help the film for all the shorts. Except Ramula and Meera, the rest of the stories fail to impress.