Starring: Aadi Sai Kumar, Misha Narang, Nandini Rai, Tarak Ponnappa, Vasanthi, Sanjay Reddy, Madhusudhan Rao, Ali Reza, Khayyum, Siva Karthik, Vikas, Ravi Prakash, Bhupal Raju.
Director: Sivashankar Dev
Producers: Ajay Srinivas
Story: The movie’s story revolves around the murder of Vikram Chakravarthi (Tarak Ponnappa), CEO of VC Finance Company, who lends interest-free loans to the middle class and amasses great wealth. Sanatan (Aadi Sai Kumar), a Crime Scene Investigation specialist, is brought in by the police department to solve the case. As Sanatan delves deeper into the investigation, he faces challenges along the way. The film also explores the connection between Sudheeksha (Misha Narang) and Minister Rajavarshan (Madhusudhan Reddy) to the case. To uncover the identity of the culprit, the you will have to watch the film.
Plus Points: Aadi Saikumar is improving with each film and his script selection is getting better. This film showcases his serious acting skills as a CSI officer and he does well in the action and investigation scenes.
Ali Reza, who played the police officer Rudra, also did a good job. Nandini Rai, Madhusudhan Rao, and Ravi Prakash also gave their best performances.
The story may not be new, but the investigation scenes with twists and turns create curiosity and make the film enjoyable.
Minus Points: The screenplay plays a crucial role in the success of an investigative thriller, but unfortunately, the writers Chaganti Santaiah and Sivashankar Dev failed to deliver an engaging screenplay for CSI Sanatan. Despite the familiar story, if the narration was done interestingly, the film could have been an intriguing crime thriller.
The direction is passable, but the film has some loopholes and unnecessary scenes that seem illogical and meaningless. Additionally, some dialogues ruin the essence of the investigation scenes, like the worst dialogue, “If a murder happens, then it means there is a murderer.” The director could have added more action scenes to enhance the film’s engaging experience in theaters.
Characters played by Vasanthi and Khayyum have no relevance to the main plot except for creating suspense, and Misha Narang’s performance as the heroine is unimpressive. Nandini Rai’s character could have been written better to add more drama and suspense.
Verdict:
CSI Sanatan is a crime investigation thriller that has its ups and downs. While Aadi’s performance and some interesting twists in the second half make the film watchable, the slow-paced screenplay in the first half and a few scenes are disappointing. Despite its flaws, the film is worth a watch over the weekend.
Rating:2.5/5