Meghana, Prajwal impress in this thriller

‘Tatsama Tadbhava’ (‘Tatsama’ meaning the same as that and ‘Tadbhava’ meaning arising from that) by debutante Vishal Athreya deserves appreciation. The psychological thriller by Meghana Raj Sarja,
Prajwal Devaraj, and Pannaga Bharana, the producer, marks the return of the actress to the silver screen after three years.

The plot revolves around Arika (Meghana), a victim of schizophrenia. Arika finds hope in Sanjay, her schoolmate, and eventually marries him. He walks out of the house following an argument and subsequently goes missing. His decomposed body is recovered three days later. She lodges a police complaint. To her surprise, the police start considering her as a prime suspect, despite her pleading to be innocent and being happily married.

Who is the assailant? What is the motive? Will the police solve the case lacking clues? The flick has convincing answers for these.

What lifts an ordinary investigation to an edge-of-the-seat thriller are compelling performances, captivating screenplay, and top-notch technical qualities. A plethora of mind games, an absence of action sequences, and ill-timed songs transform the flick into an immersive affair.

The filmmaker impresses with his narrative technique. He splits the plot into five chapters for a conversation-based interrogation flick. Exploration of psychological angles and the attempts to interrogate the subconscious mind keep the audience hooked till the climax. The investigation discloses a web of lies, secrets, and mystery offering the audience much food for thought. Sanjay is never shown on the screen, which is intriguing.

The choice of narration indicates the influence of the genre on the filmmaker. Some portions resemble a few web series. Performances by Meghna and Prajwal, and the rest of the ensemble cast deserve appreciation. Srinivas Ramaiah’s cinematography and Vasuki Vaibhav’s music draw attention.

Meghana lodges a complaint in 2004 and appears the same even after 19 years, which defies logic. Absence of humour in the film is another minus.