Dhootha Review: Prime Video’s Telugu series stars Naga Chaitanya Akkineni, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Prachi Desai, Priya Bhavani Shankar, Pasupathy, Rohini, Tharun Bhascker Dhaassyam and others. Directed by Vikram K Kumar, the writing team includes Venkat D Pati, Poorna Pragna, Sripal Reddy, Naveen George Thomas, and Dondapati Venkatesh.
Dhootha has 8 episodes of 35-40 minutes each. The Telugu series has English subtitles.
Dhootha Review Contains No Spoilers
Dhootha on Prime Video starts off well when we see Sagar receiving the shocking news of his life on a piece of newspaper. The paper gives him clues as to who’s going to die next, mainly related to him. As a journalist, he does all he can to investigate who’s behind these nasty games. But every time he thinks he has found some clue, the opposition strikes harder.
In the first three episodes, the story progresses intriguingly as the murderous plot just begins. However, certain elements in the story are predictable, especially Amrutha’s arc. Parvathy plays the investigating officer and makes a smashing entry. She is a no-nonsense officer, fierce and focused on her duty, never missing out on any clue. Everyone is looking for something, but what exactly is it?
Dhootha Trailer
Dhootha keeps you guessing whether it’s a person or some evil entity troubling Sagar. Another element that keeps you engrossed is the motive behind turning the journalist’s life upside down. I liked the concept of showing a journalist headlines about their own lives, even though they’re about events or mishaps that might happen in the future. But that’s all. These few aspects are not enough to keep you waiting till the 8th episode to get all the answers.
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The Prime Video series could’ve wrapped everything together in a span of six episodes. As we understand the purpose of these newspaper chits, we start to guess who might be the next victim. But that guessing game becomes dull after a point. So instead of stretching the investigative premises of different individuals seeking similar answers, tightly weaving them together to give an effective conclusion would’ve made the series riveting.
Naga Chaitanya has done a good job as Sagar Varma. However, I wish there was a certain loss and trauma in Naga’s eyes that made us believe that Sagar’s life was crumbling slowly and severely. Parvathy Thiruvothu walks in with ease, taking all the attention to herself as she penetrates the dark world to seek truth. It’s a delight to see the actor in action. The rest of the cast does a good job.
Dhootha Review: Final Thoughts
Overall, the concept of Dhootha is quite fascinating. The show has a promising premise that falters midway due to its predictability factor. The performances are good enough to keep you invested in the twisted tale. However, the series would’ve had a better payoff if the number of episodes were a bit smaller. It is a crooked and murderous tale of ‘journalism’.
The series is now streaming on Prime Video.
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