Banner: Srinivasa Silver Screen Cast: Naga Chaitanya, Krithi Shetty, Arvind Swami, Priyamani, Sarath Kumar, Sampath Raj, Vennela Kishore, Premi Vishwanath and others Dialogues: Abburi Ravi Music Directors: Ilaiyaraaja & Yuvan Shankar Raja Cinematography: SR Kathir Editor: Venkat Raajen Action Director: Stun Shiva and Mahesh Mathew Producer: Srinivasaa Chitturi Written and Direction: Venkat Prabhu
Tamil director Venkat Prabhu who is known for his stylish action thrillers collaborated with Naga Chaitanya for the first time.
Story :
An ordinary police constable Shiva (Naga Chaitanya) who is struggling to get married to his girlfriend Revathi (Krithi Shetty) gets into a big conspiracy.Shiva vows to bring a notorious criminal Raju (Aravind Swamy) to court but the whole department of his does not want him to, including the state CM Dakshayani (Priyamani).What did Raju do and why is Shiva so stubborn to bring him to justice? The answer to these questions is Custody.
Performances :
Naga Chaitanya playing Shiva fits the bill perfectly of a sincere and honest cop who doesn’t go overboard on the aggressive side.It makes it look like a close-to-real portrayal.
Unfortunately, that’s the best thing about the part, as it lacks depth and misses big time on the emotional side or intensity.The character of Shiva doesn’t go beyond surface-level niceties.
It isn’t elevated anywhere and looks like another casually done part with no impact
Krithi Shetty, who plays his girlfriend, also performs neatly.
Aravind Swamy’s role is quite interesting in the beginning portions, but his role becomes monotonous in the second half.
Sarath Kumar is effective in a negative role.Priyamani has the right body language for the role of Chief Minister.
Jeeva and Anandini appear in cameo roles.Vennela Kishore’s comedy is of the routine variety.Goparaju Ramana gets full marks as Naga Chaitanya’s father.
Technical Excellence:
Aside from the cinematography, the best part of this film is its action stunts.Two action episodes stand out as fantastic, as well as a single-cut fight sequence and a pre-interval action episode that takes place inside a reservoir.The cinematography, too, is top-class.
That being said, the songs in the film are mediocre.Despite having masters like Ilayaraja and Yuvan Shankar Raja, their output in terms of songs has been underwhelming.
On the other hand, the background score is good.
Director Venkat Prabhu stated that the Malayalam film “Nayattu” inspired him to write the story of “Custody.” There are some thematic similarities, but this film is nowhere near the Malayalam film in terms of gripping screenplay or honest filmmaking.
The director conjures up lengthy action blocks to compensate for the lack of content.They bore immediately and tire one out.The weak writing and lack of solid friction between the protagonist and antagonist further mar the appeal.The ending with a small twist is too little too late, and also, the one involving the core action plot is utterly predictable.
Highlights :
Arvind Swamy
Naga Chaitanya’s Sincere And Realistic Approach
A Couple Of Blocks
Drawbacks :
Boring Narrative
Lack of depth
Predictable Story
Weak songs
Verdict :
On the whole, Custody manages to engage in bits and there isn’t anything great to rave about.Naga Chaitanya and Arvind Swami try their level best, but it is the direction and story of Venkat Prabhu that has to be blamed.
Rating : 2.25
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