Endendigu is a Subdued Thriller

The film has engaging performances, good music, picturesque locales and some twists but despite its premise, it does not quite deliver the promised chills
Endendigu is a Subdued Thriller

Stories centered around fatalism or mortality have  been milked in  films like Final Destination.  An inspirational plotline from such stories has been gleaned by choreographer cum debut director Imran Sardhariya for his first film, Endendigu. The simple idea is then woven with faith in God and Indian traditions to bring in a local flavour. Told from a couple’s point of view, Endendigu is a subdued thriller set in Sweden.

The film opens with a family drama, with Krishna (Krishna Ajai Rao) a software engineer and Jyothi (Radhika Pandit) preparing for their wedding. They both are childhood friends who are now becoming life partners with their families’ consent.

Krishna holds a pre-wedding party for his friends and at the function, his guru (Dattatreya) advises Krishna that he should only consummate his marriage  in a foreign land.

Since Krishna is leaving for Sweden on a project, he considers his guru’s advice and the newly weds leave the country after their wedding.

While Jyothi is trying to settle in a foreign land, a dream brings a twist in her life in which she has a horrifying vision of her husband’s death on a railway track.

How she protects her husband and prevents him from being killed drives the second half. Will Jyothi manage to save her husband and what kind of sacrifice will she make  to save Krishna brings us to the not so thrilling climax.

Imran as a debut director skillfully manages to have the right star cast. Though the film has a thin  story plot, he blends it with elegant camera movements, expressive angles along with stylised lighting, and extracts sterling performances.   Ajai Rao is superb as the software engineer.

His tender treatment of his  woman, his cultured bearing his gentlemanly demeanour conveys nobility that goes beyond the brief of the  role.

Radhika  is even more exciting in her wonderful portrayal of a girl next door. She is emotional and intelligent.  Ajai and Radhika have a good on-screen chemistry and that mainly keeps the romantic thriller engaging. 

Imran’s dance choreography  skills gave him the requisite  confidence to step into film direction.

He has further confirmed his credentials by inspiring engaging performances from the ensemble cast that includes, Ashok, Chandrashekar, Sumitra, Pavithra Lokesh, Tabla Nani, Ravindranath, among others.

Music by V Harikrishna scores high as it enhances the emotional involvement with the story and its characters. Capturing the opulence and intricacies is cinematographer Venkatesh Anguraj who contributes to the film’s richness. 

The film generates a little amount of adrenaline and takes a few unexpected turns while covering familiar territory. Though low on suspense, this film filled with imaginative death scenes offers a break from usual clichés. Now, if only the thrill quotient was higher.

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