Evaru Movie Review: Adivi Sesh and Regina Cassandra’s Thriller Gives a Fresh Spin to the Invisible Guest

Evaru Movie Review: What's it about the Spanish film The Invisible Guest that has caught the fascination of our Indian filmmakers? Within the matter of a couple of months, we have two remakes made about the same film, directed by Oriol Paulo. One in Bollywood that came out in March, titled Badla, and starred Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu. Now we have a remake in Telugu Cinema - Evaru - with Regina Cassandra and Adivi Sesh in the lead, and directed by first-timer Venkat Ramji (who has also written the screenplay). MAJOR: Mahesh Babu Announces Biopic on Martyr Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Adivi Sesh to Play the Lead.

While Badla was a nearly faithful remake of The Invisible Guest, Evaru uses the core theme and the twists to create its own narrative. Which is refreshing for those who have already watched the original and the Hindi remake (like yours truly), though Evaru replaces the nuances of the original film with melodrama (one of the characters is a cancer patient) and sometimes, over-convoluted cinematic liberties.

So what's Venkat Ramji bringing new into the plot of The Invisible Guest? Sameera (Regina Cassandra) is caught red-handed in a resort for the cold-blooded murder of DSP Ashok (Naveen Chandra). The wife of a rich businessman, Sameera claims that she shot Ashok dead after he raped her in the room, and she even gets the sympathy of the media in the process.

To make her case stronger, Sameera's lawyer suggests to her to bribe the investigating cop Vikram Vasudevan (Adivi Sesh) and get him to prepare her for the prosecution's strong questioning. Vikram meets her in her room and begins to point out the fallacies in her story. When he also connects her case with that of a missing man from Coonoor, where the resort is situated, we realise that things are more complicated than what Sameera wants to tell everyone. Big Brother: Mohanlal to Romance Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga Actress Regina Cassandra in the Siddique Entertainer.

Like I said before, the director has brought in quite a lot of changes to the narrative while retaining the basic theme of the original. For one, the investigator is not a lawyer as seen in The Invisible Guest or Badla, but a cop. The makers have also inserted a few topical themes in the narrative and Indianise it. The technique mostly works as Evaru certainly stands apart from the original film, a relentless thriller, that was devoid of emotions. Evaru has a lot of sentiments tailored in for the Indian audiences. If you have been a fan of the original, Evaru may not work for you. But if you want to see a different take of the film that doesn't ruin the spirit of the original, then Evaru is quite enjoyable. Just like what Sanjay Gupta's Kaante did with Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs. Or closer home, what Rohit Shetty did with Singham.

Evaru works best when the characters of Adivi Sesh and Regina Cassandra engage in mind games with each other. The second half especially, is fast-paced and thrillings, as layers get peeled off from the main characters and their motivation to bare their real selves. The movie also benefits hugely from the performances. Adivi Sesh brings in a restrained flamboyance in his portrayal of a character whose allegiances we are conflicted about right from the start. Regina Cassandra is a revelation here - it is amazing to see how she switches from various shades with immaculate ease. Naveen Chandra as the hot-tempered Ashok is good. Special mention must also be given to the background score that amplifies the tension and intrigue in many scenes.

Watch The Trailer of Evaru here:

That said, I am not exactly a fan of how Evaru contemptuously uses the #MeToo movement and homosexuality to misinterpret a character's persona.

Like with the original, some of the twists feel very convoluted and some character developments, especially with Ashok, feel rushed. Do not want to spoil the film, but there is a particular use of flashback technique involving Vikram Vasudevan in the first half that feels deliberately complicated only to fool the audience rather than the character opposite Vikram. There should have been a smarter way to work it out.

Final Thoughts

For those who have not watched The Invisible Guest (or Badla, for the matter), Evaru is a thrilling whodunit with fine performances from both the leads. And for those who did, the film gives a refreshing spin to the narrative that won't give you a sense of watching a 'cut-copy-paste' job. (PS: Evaru had released in theatres on August 15. This review is based on the special screening held in Mumbai on August 27, which the reviewer had attended.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 28, 2019 08:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).