Following the success of his acclaimed web series Recce, Director Krishna Poluru returns with Viraatapalem – PC Meena Reporting streaming now on Zee5 OTT platform. Starring Abhignya Vuthaluru in the lead role along with Charan Lakkaraju, Lavanya Sahukara and Ramaraju in other important roles, this series promised a lot through its trailer and promotions.
Story
A fatal curse hangs heavy over Viraatapalem. For over a decade in the 1980s, the remote village has seen every bride die on her wedding day, turning joyous occasions into tragedies and effectively ending all marriages. No one has dared to challenge it until fearless police constable Meena (Abhignya Vuthuluru) arrives. Convinced there’s a rational explanation, Meena starts her investigation. Her commitment becomes personal after she watches Malli die shortly after marrying Ranga, spurring Meena to unearth the truth behind the village’s deadly secret.
Performances
In the central role, Abhignya Vuthaluru provides a compelling performance. While her aesthetic might lean rustic in certain moments, her portrayal is consistently captivating and commands the viewer’s attention. Surabhi Prabhavati shines in her pivotal supporting role. The broader ensemble comprising Charan Lakkaraju, Lavanya Sahukara, Ramaraju, Gowtham Raju and Satish delivers serviceable, though largely unremarkable, performances that are forgettable as soon as the series is finished.
Behind the scenes
Based on the story by Divya Thejaswi Pera which got some potential to be turned into an engaging series, the director Poluru Krishna unfortunately failed to meet expectations, delivering a series that lacked momentum to keep the audience engaged mainly due to sluggish screenplay by Vikram Kumar Kandimalla.
Adding to the woes, the cinematography by Mahesh K Swaroop, the editing by Farooz Hundekar and Mirhiraamsh’s music are a big let down. Even the short-time episodes were dragged unnecesarily testing the patience of the audience. which should have been avoided in a crime thriller.
The production values are abysmally low and the hurriedness due to one reason or the other is visible in every scene which proved detrimental to the flow of the narrative.
Final Verdict
The prime ingredient of a crime thriller is its slick presentation without any lag or drag. When it is a series more care should be taken to keep the viewer engaged and the end of each episode should leave the viewer guessing. Unfortunately, this key factor is found missing in Viraatapalem-PC Meena Reporting. Though there were some bright spots throughout the series, director has failed to transform them into exciting elements except few scenes during climax.
Moreover, the crucial twist of heroine marrying to nab the killer was already witnessed in many films and it doesn’t impart any freshness to the series. And also except for the performance of Abhignya, all other performances fail to make any impact due to poor writing and characterization.
On the whole, the series lacked that exra punch required for a crime thriller and except few sparks here and there, Viraatapalem-PC Meena Reporting is avoidable and skipped by all means.
