Cheekatilo movie review: Sobhita Dhulipala’s one man show in this griping thriller is impressive

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• Cheekatilo is a crime thriller starring Sobhita Dhulipala as a news anchor
• The film delves into night crimes against women and a serial killer's pattern.
• Cheekatilo praised for lead performance and authentic crime journalism setting

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Cast: Sobhita Dhulipala, Vishwadev, Jhansi, Aamani and others

Director: Sharan Koppisetty and Chandra Pemmaraju

Producer: Suresh Productions

Rating; 3.5/5

Cheekatilo starrer Sobhita Dhulipala, is a thrilling crime novel that aims to combine investigative journalism with deep psychological insights. Sobhita Dhulipala offers a terrific center performance that ties everything together. Cheekatilo, which means dark, is directed by Sharan Koppisetty and Chandra Pemmaraju and produced by Suresh Productions and is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

Plot

Sobhita Dhulipala plays Sandhya, a news anchor who presents a TV show about crime. Bobby (Aditi Myakal), a teenage intern who works closely with her, is brutally raped and murdered, which disturbs her world. Bobby had asked Sandhya numerous times to launch a true-crime podcast, but she always refused. Sadly, Bobby's death is what finally makes her do it. The first episode of her podcast is about figuring out what really happened in Bobby's murder.

As Sandhya dives deeper, the research leads her to a troubling pattern. The movie begins with a masked man attacking a dancer, which sets the stage for a series of atrocities against vulnerable women that happen at night. The person who did it is systematic and symbolic: he leaves jasmine flowers in the survivor's hair and anklets around the necks of the men he kills at the victims' homes. A lot of his victims don't make it out alive, but a few do and have to start over in quiet.

When the murder site of Bobby exhibits the same horrific signs, the question becomes unavoidable: has the same serial rapist and killer come back? Because all the crimes place at night, the show and the inquiry are both dubbed Cheekatilo (In The Dark).

Performances and Analysis:

Sobhita Dhulipala does a great job of playing Sandhya, finding the proper balance between being professional and transparent with her feelings. Sobhita mentioned during the promotions that this movie was her method of getting back in touch with the Telugu audience. She does an excellent job of making Sandhya both engaging and easy to relate to. She is definitely the best thing about the movie.

Vishwadev Rachakonda plays Sandhya's fiancé, and he does a fine job, but the part itself could have been stronger and better written. The supporting actors, such Ravindra Vijay, Isha Chawla, and Chaitanya Krishna, do a terrific job of making the tale believable and preserving the movie's tense mood.

Cheekatilo is directed by Sharan Koppisetty and Chandra Pemmaraju. It is noted for having a solid core premise and keeping the audience intrigued.

The creators are careful with the sensitive subject matter and focus more on the investigation and psychological repercussions than on making it appear entertaining. Suresh Babu made the movie for Suresh Productions, and the technical quality is very high.

The clothing and set design make the world of crime journalism and investigation feel authentic, and the photography does a superb job of portraying the spooky, midnight ambiance. Everything about the technical parts, from the camera work to the little things, appears well planned.

Verdict:

Cheekatilo is a well-made crime thriller with a fantastic lead performance and a good story. Some of the characters, especially the supporting ones, aren't very deep, but the movie is nonetheless engaging, current, and creepy in the right ways. If you prefer gloomy, realistic stories that are based on real occurrences, Cheekatilo is an excellent movie for you.