Title: Antariksham
CBFC Rating : U
Run-Time: 2 Hrs 05 Mins
Release Date: 21-12-2018
Banner: First Frame Entertainments
Cast: Varun Tej, Aditi Rao Hydari, Lavanya Tripathi, Satyadev, Srinivas Avasarala, Raja Chembolu and Others
Music: Prasanth Vihari
Cinematography: Gnana Sekhar
Editing: Rajeev Rajasekharan
Producers: Krish Jagarlamudi, Y Rajeev Reddy, J Saibabu
Written & Directed by: Sankalp Reddy
Story :
Indian Space Center (ISC) faces a threat with its satellite Mihira which is not the verge of destroying entire communication system. Ex-employee, Dev ( Varun Tej) who has created Mihira is its only option to solve the problem. Once Dev rejoins ISC he decides to take the voyage as astronauts along with Riya ( Aditi Rao Hydari) and Two others ( Satya Dev, Raja Chembolu). How Dev & his team accomplished the mission ? How they dealt with the problems on their space voyage? forms ‘Antariksham’.
Performances :
Varun Tej impresses with his intense performance and he is maturing as an actor with every film. He looked handsome and portrayed variations in his character brilliantly.
Aditi Rao Hydari did well as subordinate for Varun and she emotes well in key scenes. Lavanya Tripathi has limited space and she is adequate.
Positives :
Varun Tej
Unique Plot
Direction
Quality VFX
Visuals
Production Values
BGM
Negatives :
Lacks Depth
Lag at times
Analysis:
A space thriller is not the kind of movie we see even rarely in Telugu. The same can be said about a sea thriller, but that was made a possibility with Ghazi. The director Sankalp Reddy who gave us Ghazi is back again and it doesn’t surprise that he is the one bringing us Antariksham.
Unlike Ghazi which was based on true incidents, Antariksham 9000kmph is a totally fictional account based on real happenings related to the Indian space agency.
Right from the first frame, Antariksham is into the story and never lets it go until the end. The problem is the alien backdrop and that is where Sankalp Reddy scores. He neatly explains what is the issue and what one is dealing and then proceeds clinically in achieving it through a fast-paced narrative.
The small bumps occur in between due to emotional disturbance or too much technical talk. But, even in those parts the lag is less and is not felt. Even here the ‘Mission Kinnera’ works like magic. The emotions are genuinely felt. In the end, Antariksham is a fulfilling watch due to its fresh approach and no-nonsense narrative.
The music and the background score by Prasanth Vihari are excellent. They help in generating a thrilling mood. The cinematography is neat and the editing is slick. The producers Rajeev, Krish, SaiBabu must be appreciated for attempting a daring subject like this and backed with terrific production values.
Bottom-line: Nailbiting Space Thriller
Rating: 3/5
