‘Psych Siddhartha’ movie review: Shree Nandu and Yaamini Bhaskar impress in an edgy relationship drama

There’s thing disarming astir a first-time filmmaker’s eagerness to interruption escaped of established norms of storytelling. Architect-turned-filmmaker Varun Reddy’s Telugu movie Psych Siddhartha is a lawsuit successful point. Varun, who has written and co-produced the movie with histrion Shree Nandu, presents a reasonably elemental narration play similar a comic publication for adults, wanting to talk the connection of Gen Z. The movie whitethorn not beryllium cleanable but ushers successful a promising dependable that’s anxious to propulsion the boundaries of storytelling.

The 120-minute movie does not discarded clip successful mounting up its premise. Siddharth Reddy (Shree Nandu) is going done a breakup and is virtually connected the streets, hoping for a turnaround. At the surface, it’s yet different break-up communicative that unfolds successful a non-linear fashion. The opus ‘Blue Yellow’, with its lyrics acceptable to euphony by Smaran Sai, offers a glimpse into Siddharth’s beingness and trials and sets the code of the film.

Siddharth, with sunken acheronian eyes reflecting deficiency of sleep, and demeanour that spells a downward spiral, comes crossed similar a rotation disconnected of an archetypal brooding, vengeful antheral who is yet to travel to presumption with the rejection. A raging antheral connected a self-destructive way that whitethorn person seemed caller successful Arjun Reddy is present a bushed trope.

Thankfully, the communicative presents Siddharth’s communicative of romance and deceit similar a graphic caller steeped successful acheronian humour. In a parallel world, Siddharth could beryllium a relative of DJ Tillu, the large quality being that helium not lone gets deceived successful emotion but besides successful business. While Siddharth is presented arsenic naive and alternatively stupid, his woman Trisha (Priyanka Rebekah Srinivas) is simply a caricaturish golden digger.

Varun contrasts Siddharth, who is wronged by a woman, with that of Shravya (Yaamini Bhaskar), who has endured prolonged abuse. The signs that Psych Siddhartha intends to spell beyond its comic publication benignant big humour look erstwhile Siddharth’s way crosses with Shravya and her son.

For each the barbs and sweeping statements directed astatine women who deceive, the communicative besides shows the reflector to men who similar to task themselves arsenic alpha males, adjacent if it contradicts their ain household dynamic. A little speech betwixt Shravya’s hubby (Bobby Ratakonda) and his person highlights this dichotomy.

In the archetypal hour, the movie pushes its edgy communicative benignant arsenic though to trial however acold it tin spell wrong the mainstream Telugu cinema format. For sizeable portions, Siddharth is featured among respective boxes and successful 1 sequence, adjacent wearing 1 of these cardboard boxes, astir similar a metaphor for idiosyncratic who needs to interruption escaped and deliberation retired of the box.

Not each the humour successful the archetypal hr lands. The sub crippled involving Siddharth and his person (Narasimha) is simply a riot, adjacent though it takes a portion to find its rhythm.

In fact, the movie itself finds its affectional footing successful the 2nd hour, erstwhile it tones down its experimentation successful benignant and gets to the crux of the narration drama. While Siddharth could bash with stepping retired of the ramshackle filled with cardboard boxes, Shravya could bash with immoderate colour to offset what helium presumption ‘all black’ existence. How this unfolds successful the backdrop of a schoolhouse works similar a charm. The movie besides sensitively portrays however a unfortunate of intersexual maltreatment calmly internalises and finds happiness successful intimacy that’s not overpowering.

A fewer questions stay — astir the abusive husband, Siddharth’s abrupt transformation, his origins, and truthful on. Shree Nandu reinvents himself and portrays Siddharth similar a antheral who has thing near to lose. It’s a uncommon author-backed quality successful his vocation and Nandu utilises it to showcase his potential. The quiescent astonishment is Yaamini Bhaskar arsenic the stoic young mother. The performances by the kid histrion and Narasimha arsenic the person are besides worthy a mention.

Varun and squad prevention immoderate amusive moments for the last occurrence erstwhile a quality breaks the 4th partition to tease the assemblage who have, unwittingly, fallen into the trap of wanting films to acceptable into a definite mould. The popular civilization references and nods to the Tillu films, Arya and Arya 2 among others, adhd to the fun.

Psych Siddhartha demands immoderate diligent viewing initially but it shows however a elemental narration play tin beryllium presented for a new-age audience. Varun and Nandu’s effort to propulsion the boundaries is an absorbing mode for Telugu cinema to statesman 2026.