Puli Meka Series Review: The Lavanya, Aadhi thriller is routine, slow and makes sense only in the last few episodes
Starring: Lavanya Tripathi, Aadi Sai Kumar, Suman, Siri Hanmanth, Raja Chembolu, Mukku Avinash, Sai Srinivas, Goparaju Ramana, Spandana Palli
Director: Chakravarthy Reddy
Producers: Kona Film Corporation (KFC) & ZEE5
Music Director: Praveen Lakkaraju
Cinematography: Ram K Mahesh
Editor: Chota K Prasad
Puli Meka Series Review: Lavanya Tripathi shines in this cop thriller which lacks emotional depth
Story In Hyderabad, a serial murderer is at large and murdering police officers one at a time. To find the murderer, the chief cop (Suman) deploys his greatest weapon, IPS officer Kiran Prabha (Lavanya Tripathi). With the help of the clues team led by Prabhakar (Aaadhi Sai Kumar), who is also in love with Kiran, she begins her research. In an unfortunate sequence of circumstances, Prabhakar discovers a clue that places him in an absurd scenario that he is unable to share with anybody. Which hint is that? Why are these killings taking place? Has Kiran caught the murderer? You must see the eight episode online series on Zee5 to find out the answers.
Puli Meka Review
Chakravarthy Reddy’s most recent film on Zee5 is called Puli Meka. The casting was excellent, as Lavanya Tripathi and Aadhi Saikumar make their OTT debuts with this series. The series centres on a serial murderer with a respectable emotional history. One may argue that the show’s director, Chakravarthy, approached it more like a movie than a web series.
This online series was developed and produced by well-known author Kona Venkat. He gave this web series a movie-like vibe because he is accustomed to writing plots for motion pictures. Comedy, music, and a tonne of unwelcome family emotions detract from the gravity of the programme. Although Puli Meka has a good idea, the film’s production quality may be better. It appears to be a pretty poor-quality production that has little impact in many places.
The sluggish pacing of the series is one of its biggest flaws. The primary plot of the programme doesn’t begin for a very long time. Each of the eight episodes lasts 30 minutes, yet even that seems excessively long. The way the killings are presented at the beginning is ridiculous and has no emotional resonance. Web series often have a mysterious sense about them, but this one irritates you because of the love story between the main characters and the excessive family drama.
In terms of the performances, Lavanya Tripathi excels as a female police officer and has the finest part. Lavanya ditches her glamorous persona, reveals her active persona, and convinces us that she is the one we should support. Her ability to move quickly, shift gears in the most recent episodes, and hold viewers’ attention during all of the investigative sequences is outstanding. Aadhi Sai Kumar does admirably in his part as well. Even though he starts off with few options, he manages to handle everything and is outstanding.
Bigg Boss star Siri Hanmanth plays a very important role, and she was unexpectedly effective. The young actor did a good job of conveying the feelings associated with her important part. Raja Chembolu, who plays Aadhi’s brother, did a great job playing the bad guy. Not to mention, it was wonderful to see veteran actor Suman land such a significant part and provide a lot of depth to this otherwise unremarkable thriller. The rest of the cast likewise performed admirably.
The music score was written by Praveen Lakkaraju, however it doesn’t have much of an impact. The eerie quality necessary for any BGM in a web series is not fully realised. The camerawork is respectable, and Neeraja Kona’s outfits are flawless. As was previously said, the production qualities are not spectacular since several scenes and the setup for the inquiry appear excessive. The conversation and the omission of each episode’s protagonist were both well-done.
After all of that, the filmmaker Chakravarthy Reddy saves his greatest work for last. Towards the end of the fifth episode, a significant surprise is revealed, and Puli Meka then picks up steam. The suspense, a parallel investigation, twists and turns, and the show’s beginning to make sense as the director talks mainly about the individual responsible for these deaths and follows numerous investigative trails are depicted in an entertaining way, and the programme closes on a positive note. The goal of the layered sounds is quite clear, and it gives the spectator a sense of fulfilment.
Verdict
Overall, Puli Meka has an intriguing plot but an antiquated style of narration. One must endure the drab first five episodes in order to enjoy the sixth episode, which is when the show truly picks up. However, this story lacks the fundamentally unsettling element that characterises a thriller about a serial murderer. When the superfluous melodrama finally ends, it’s too late since what should have been a really interesting and racy thriller with good twists is stretched out. Nonetheless, Lavanya Tripathi’s amazing performance and Aadhi’s supporting work help to somewhat redeem the situation.
