OTT reviews

OTT Review: Nivin Pauly’s Sarvam Maya – Telugu-Dubbed Malayalam Film Streaming on Jio Hotstar

by 123telugu January 31, 2026

Movie Name : Sarvam Maya
Streaming Date : Jan 30, 2026
Streaming Platform : Jio Hotstar
123telugu.com Rating : 3.25/5
Starring : Nivin Pauly, Aju Varghese, Riya Shibu, Janardhanan, Preity Mukhundhan, Raghunath Paleri and Madhu Wariar
Director : Akhil Sathyan
Producers : Dr. Ajayya Kumar and Rajeev Menon
Music Director : Justin Prabhakaran
Cinematographer : Sharan Velayudhan
Editors : Akhil Sathyan, Rathin Radhakrishnan

Related Links : Trailer

Released on Christmas Eve, Sarvam Maya is a Malayalam film featuring Nivin Pauly in the lead. After a successful theatrical run, the film is now streaming on Jio Hotstar in multiple languages, including Telugu. Read on to know how it is.

Story:

Prabhendu (Nivin Pauly), an aspiring guitarist and atheist who lives away from his family due to differences with his father, is forced to return home after his visa for a Europe tour gets cancelled. To earn money, he assists his cousin Rupesh, a priest, and during an exorcism-related assignment, experiences a strange incident. Soon after, Prabhendu senses the presence of a young girl in his room who uses his phone and behaves in puzzling ways. He later encounters her and nicknames her Delulu (Riya Shibu). With no memory of her past and an unusual nature, Delulu does not behave like a typical ghost, and as their interaction grows, she begins influencing Prabhendu’s life. Who exactly is Delulu? What is her past? Why is she connected to Prabhendu, and how will her presence change his life? These questions form the crux of the film.

Plus Points:

The story of Sarvam Maya follows a familiar supernatural setup, but the film benefits from its treatment and character-driven narration rather than novelty.

Riya Shibu’s portrayal of Delulu is the film’s biggest strength. Her character is playful, mischievous, and humorous instead of being scary. Her expressions, timing, and screen presence stand out, making Delulu instantly likeable. She clearly emerges as the show-stealer.

Nivin Pauly delivers a controlled and sincere performance as an atheist caught in an unusual situation. He balances fear, innocence, emotion, and humour effectively. His combination scenes with Riya Shibu form the emotional and entertainment backbone of the film.

Preity Mukhundhan appears in a limited role but leaves an impression. Aju Varghese supports the film with light humour, while Janardhanan performs reliably as the lead’s uncle. The supporting cast fits well into the narrative.

The emotional portions towards the climax, particularly the revelation related to Delulu’s identity, connect well and leave an emotional impact.

Minus Points:

While the treatment elevates the film to an extent, the core story remains predictable. A few sequences feel routine and offer no major surprises.

The dynamic between Nivin Pauly and Aju Varghese could have been explored further to generate more humour. Similarly, Preity Mukhundhan’s character feels underwritten and exits the narrative abruptly.

Not all the comedy works. While character-driven humour clicks, some situational sequences feel overstretched. Although the emotional intent of the climax connects, some viewers may feel the narrative explanation could have been clearer.

Technical Aspects:

Director Akhil Sathyan presents the film in a clean and accessible manner. His attempt to blend humour, emotion, and supernatural elements mostly works, though the second half could have been tighter.

Sharan Velayudhan’s cinematography suits the film’s tone. Justin Prabhakaran’s music complements the narrative and enhances the emotional portions. Editing by Akhil Sathyan and Rathin Radhakrishnan is adequate, though trimming a few scenes would have improved pacing. Production values are decent, and the Telugu dubbing is fine, but could have been better.

Verdict:

On the whole, Sarvam Maya is an entertaining supernatural comedy that relies more on its characters than its story. While the plot feels familiar, the engaging treatment and the Delulu character keep the film afloat. Nivin Pauly delivers a steady performance, but it is Riya Shibu who truly elevates the film. Though it does not break new ground, Sarvam Maya benefits from its neat presentation and family-friendly treatment, placing it firmly on the positive side. It emerges as one of the better OTT options for a relaxed weekend watch.

123telugu.com Rating: 3.25/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team

January 31, 2026

OTT Review: Karthi’s Annagaru Vostaru – Telugu Movie streaming on Prime Video

by 123telugu January 29, 2026

Movie Name : Annagaru Vostaru
Streaming Date : Jan 28, 2026
Streaming Platform : Amazon Prime Video
123telugu.com Rating : 2.5/5
Starring : Karthi, Krithi Shetty, Sathyaraj, Rajkiran, Anand Raj, Shilpa Manjunath and Others
Director : Nalan Kumarasamy
Producer : K.E.Gnanavelraja
Music Director : Santhosh Narayanan
Cinematographer : George C. Williams Isc
Editor : Vetre Krishnan

Related Links : Trailer

Karthi’s Pongal release Vaa Vaathiyaar has shockingly arrived on Amazon Prime Video within two weeks of its theatrical release. What’s even more startling is that the Telugu dubbed version, Annagaru Vostaru, skipped the theatrical release and headed to OTT directly. Let’s see how the movie is.

Story:

Set in a fictional place, Ramarao (Karthi) is born at the exact time of Sr. NTR’s death. His grandfather (Rajkiran), a devoted fan of Sr. NTR, firmly believes Ramarao to be his idol’s reincarnation and raises him with strong moral values.

However, as Ramarao grows up and becomes a cop, he chooses the opposite path. Ramarao gets suspended after threatening a movie producer for a bribe. One day, his grandfather learns about Ramarao’s true nature, leading to a life-changing situation for the protagonist. What happens next forms the crux of the story.

Plus Points:

The movie has a very interesting idea that instantly grabs our attention. What if an iconic star, worshipped by people like a demigod, comes back to deal with evil forces and becomes the saviour of the masses? This is the core idea on which Annagaru Vostaru is based.

Karthi is one of those rare actors who never goes wrong with his performances, even when the films themselves aren’t entirely satisfactory. He performs to the tee and tries his best to hold the film together with his charismatic screen presence. Some moments in the first half are engaging, and the interval episode leaves a fairly good impact.

Minus Points:

A good concept alone isn’t enough to make a successful film. There needs to be a gripping screenplay to keep the audience hooked, and this is where Annagaru Vostaru falters. The narration is largely underwhelming due to the lack of a proper structure. The characters, especially the antagonists and the female lead, aren’t introduced properly.

As a result, it becomes difficult to connect with the proceedings, despite Karthi giving it his all. The second half, in particular, leaves a lot to be desired. The narrative turns repetitive and predictable, and by the time the film reaches the climax, it runs out of steam. Apart from Karthi, the rest of the cast doesn’t get scope to shine.

Additionally, there is very little chance for the film to work with Telugu audiences. OTT platforms lately have been releasing only a single version of multilingual films, swapping audio tracks for the same visual file. While this strategy may work for some films, it defeats the very purpose of movies like Vaa Vaathiyaar/Annagaru Vostaru.

We are told about NTR in the dialogues, but what we see on screen is MGR, clearly meant for Tamil audiences, making the overall experience underwhelming. It is surprising that a platform like Prime Video did not consider this crucial aspect.

Technical Aspects:

Music composed by Santosh Narayanan turns out to be one of the weakest links of Annagaru Vostaru. Not even a single song is catchy, and the background score, which was expected to be quirky, largely misses the mark. George C. Williams’ cinematography is good, and the production values are neat. However, the editing could have been much better.

Director Nalan Kumarasamy, who earlier delivered an impressive film like Soodhu Kavvum, comes up with a fascinating idea for Annagaru Vostaru, but his screenplay is ineffective and uneven. It is disappointing to see a good idea not reach its full potential, and Annagaru Vostaru unfortunately falls into that category.

Verdict:

On the whole, Annagaru Vostaru (Vaa Vaathiyaar) has an interesting premise, but due to its underwhelming screenplay, the film fails to leave the desired impact. Karthi shines as Ramarao, brilliantly portraying a cinematic, Robin Hood–esque superhero, but the narration by director Nalan Kumarasamy doesn’t pack a punch. While a few moments in the first half are decent, the second half turns tiresome due to repetition. Hence, Annagaru Vostaru ends up being far from satisfactory.

123telugu.com Rating: 2.5/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team

Click Here For Telugu Review

January 29, 2026

OTT Review: Sirai – Telugu-Dubbed Tamil Movie Streaming on ZEE5

by 123telugu January 27, 2026

Movie Name : Sirai
Streaming Date : Jan 23, 2026
Streaming Platform : ZEE5
123telugu.com Rating : 3.25/5
Starring : Vikram Prabhu, LK Akshay Kumar, Anishma Anilkumar, Ananda Thambirajah
Director : Suresh Rajakumari
Producer : SS Lalit Kumar
Music Director : Justin Prabhakaran
Cinematographer : Madhesh Manickam
Editor : Philomin Raj

Related Links : Trailer

Sirai marks the 25th film of actor Vikram Prabhu. The Tamil movie was released on Christmas Eve and went on to score hit status at the box office. It has now arrived on OTT with a Telugu dub, and here is our review of the crime drama.

Story:

Set in 2003 in Guntur, Srinivas (Vikram Prabhu) is a head constable in the Armed Reserve (AR). During an escort duty, a prisoner attempts to escape, forcing Srinivas to shoot him dead, which puts him under scrutiny by higher authorities. While the enquiry is still ongoing, Srinivas is assigned another escort duty to transport Abdul Rauf (L. K. Akshay Kumar), a murder convict, from a central prison to Kurnool. During the journey, Srinivas senses something amiss, and the situation worsens when Abdul goes missing. With the prisoner required to be produced in court the very next day, the tension escalates. What happens next? Does Srinivas and his team manage to trace Abdul? Who is Abdul, and what is his backstory? The rest of the film unfolds the answers.

Plus Points:

The film touches upon a different and rarely explored aspect of police life. Unlike most films that focus on senior officers and portray them heroically, Sirai revolves around a head constable from the Armed Reserve. Srinivas is shown as a grounded human being rather than a larger-than-life policeman, which makes the approach refreshing.

Vikram Prabhu delivers a neat performance, but the actor who truly stands out is L. K. Akshay Kumar. He effectively portrays the dilemma, pain, and hope of a prisoner, and his performance becomes a major driving force of the film.

The flashback narrated from Abdul’s point of view is emotional and engaging. Along with the emotional depth, the suspense maintained in certain scenes, especially during the escape sequence and the pre-climax and climax portions, works well.

The police station episode after the escape, the emotional scenes in the final 30 minutes, including the courtroom portions, and the suspense-filled climax are well executed and keep the viewer engaged.

Anishma Anilkumar, as Kalavathi, delivers a neat performance. The remaining cast members perform adequately.

Minus Points:

There is limited scope to point out major drawbacks. Some viewers may find the initial portions slightly routine, but the narrative picks up as the film progresses.

Though Vikram Prabhu is the lead, his role offers limited scope for performance. While he gets sufficient screen time, the character does not demand much in terms of expressions. His personal life angle is underdeveloped, and the character of his wife adds little value to the story. In the flashback portions, the love story and conflict scenes could have been explored in more detail.

Technical Aspects:

Despite this being his debut, director Suresh Rajakumari impresses with his screenplay and execution, giving the film the feel of an experienced filmmaker’s work.

Justin Prabhakaran’s background score is one of the film’s highlights and plays a key role in maintaining suspense and enhancing emotional moments. Madhesh Manickam’s cinematography is neat and serves the narrative well.

Editing by Philomin Raj is effective, keeping the film crisp within its two-hour runtime. The production values are decent, and the Telugu dubbing is clean and well done.

Verdict:

On the whole, Sirai is an engaging crime drama backed by a solid screenplay and effective execution. Vikram Prabhu is decent, but L. K. Akshay Kumar steals the show. The police station episode, flashback portions, emotional moments, and suspenseful climax make it a film worth watching. Though the narration feels slightly slow in the beginning, it does not last long. On the whole, Sirai is definitely worth a watch for its content, execution, empathy, and humanity.

123telugu.com Rating: 3.25/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team

Click Here For Telugu Review

January 27, 2026

Newer Posts

Older Posts