P.Vasu’s much awaited sequel to horror-thriller Chandramukhi is out today. While making a sequel itself is a risky proposition, having someone else in place of Rajinikanth can be very tricky. However, Venkatesh has done some unexpected roles, coming out with flying colors. Will he do the required justice to Nagavalli, let’s see.

What’s it about: Bharata Natyam dance Gayatri (Kamalinee Mukherjee) wins a painting as a gift for her performance. The painting belongs to Chandramukhi and soon things shake up in Gayatri’s family! When Gayatri’s sister Gauri (Richa Gangopadhyay) is getting ready for her engagement, the groom runs away strangely from the occasion. Soon the family head Sharat Babu and Prabha understand that there is some strange force acting at their home! They invite Ramachandra Acharya (Avinash of Chandramukhi fame), an exorcist to sort issues at home. No sooner he enters their home he realizes that it is the painting of Chandramukhi that is the reason for all the happenings. He says that there are only two people who can solve this issue – Dr. Eeshwar (obvious reference to Rajinikanth) and his assistant Dr. Vijay (Venkatesh).

Dr. Vijay and Acharya together discuss, disagree, and finally find a way to catch who actually is Chandramukhi, why she is called Nagavalli, and why is she now back.

What is Good: The script of Nagavalli is as complicated as Chandramukhi. There are lot of leads, misleads and thrills. While it isn’t completely an edge of the seat thriller, the director does manage to keep the audience interested till all the clues are unraveled. The flash back episode tells the actual story of who Chandramukhi is, and why she bears a grunt against king Naga Bhairava. The movie’s thrilling moment is not its scary scenes but when we listen to the Tamil version of Vidyasagar‘s Raa Raa mixed with the music of this film. It is romantic, yet hair-raising and tragic!

The first noticeable actor of the movie is Kamalinee Mukherjee in the role of Gayatri. She does her little role with aplomb bringing her expressions as a dancer and then as a patient wonderfully well. Richa Gangopadhyay comes into her groove much later in the movie Anushka gives a powerful performance towards the end too. Infact she holds a very big key in keeping the seriousness of the climax! Avinash continues his performance from Chandramukhi , maintaining the expressions of a firm believer.

However, the story and the presentation root for the protagonist. With almost three different roles Venkatesh gets a chance to showcase a wide range of histrionics. He is in his element and very honest in the role of Dr.Vijay who wants to solve a psychological problem. Brahmanandam and Dharmavarapu are loud but they manage to evoke some really good laughs. Sharat Babu and Prabha as the parents of the affected girls are believable. That doesn’t mean that the movie is flawless!

What is bad: The biggest problem of the movie could be that it will be first compared to its sequel Chandramukhi. It had Rajinikanth in the lead role, and it is very tough for any other actor to do what he can, especially in the role of a villainous and lecherous King. Anushka’s problems with dance are visible. Dubbing for Shraddha Das is not always in sync with what’s happening on the screen, thought she tries a lot to convey through her eyes. Not all the songs are interesting to watch.

However, all these are minor issues as compared to maintaining the tempo and intensity. The director loses the grip once it is revealed who actually Nagavalli’s soul is possessing. It is exactly here that audience started to move in their seats.

Technical Departments: : Full marks to the screenplay department, it manages to keep the similarities to Chandramukhi plot and yet has certain interesting disparities. While the music for songs isn’t too great, the re-recording suits the visuals very well. Cinematography and editing complement each other well, though there are visible jerks. Computer generated graphics are fairly decent, though some of them remind us of Arundhati. Dialogues are well written too.

Final Point: If Nagavalli can be watched separately from Chandramukhi it is a very entertaining Telugu movie. It’s got the right mix of elements, and will be a treat for Venkatesh’s fans.