‘Mayookha’ review: A gripping mystery thriller
comes as a mystery thriller movie set for the theatres, having already bagged the Best Mystery Movie at New York International Film Awards before its release. The movie is directed by Sri Tej S.K. and produced by Sasidhar Nalla. It stars Payal Chengappa in the lead role, alongside Dev D, Muralidhar Goud and Bigg Boss fame Aman Masood. The movie’s main attraction is its mystery, suspense, and a befitting act by the female lead in the anchoring role.
Story
The story revolves around the mysterious murder of a young woman called Divya. Mayookha soon finds herself harassed by the feeling that there is someone in her apartment with her as she cannot find any evidence of the crime for the police. However, things take a twisted turn when the CCTV camera reveals that the visitor was her colleague. When he pays her a surprise visit, she locks him inside the house and calls the police. To her dismay, the police find him dead and immediately suspect her. Right from this point, the movie throws up one surprise after the other as it tries to unravel who has been harassing Mayookha and if there were indeed other people in her apartment. It also raises the question of whether Divya’s death is related to her colleague’s murder.
Performances
Payal Chengappa is exceptional in the lead role, as expected. She portrays the varying shades of fear, suspicion, and confusion beautifully throughout the movie. Aman Masood and Abhilash also perform well in their respective roles. While Aman Masood has a winning debut, Abhilash’s comic relief plays well against the backdrop of the chilling mystery. Muralidhar Goud and Lavanya Rani also perform consistently well within their limited roles.
Technicalities
Sri Tej S.K., the movie director, seems to have had a good grasp of the genre. His first-half direction keeps the mystery alive and makes the audiences wonder if there are indeed ghosts in the apartment as suspected by Mayookha. In the second half, he does an excellent job of slowly and steadily unveiling the mystery while managing suspicion towards all the wrong men.
C.B. Matthew Alex’s background score deserves special mention for adding suspense, especially in the play of critical events in the storyline. However, Sharath J’s editing keeps the first half’s pace reasonably quick. Similarly, Sasidhar Nalla’s production values add quality to the movie.
Analysis
Mayookha is a mystery movie with a compelling mystery that keeps the viewer on the seat throughout the movie. Even though some story twists seem predictable, the screenplay’s suspense ensures that the movie remains interesting. The first half’s slow pacing is fixable, especially since the second half’s fascinating turns and the ultimate resolution tie all the mystery elements together into a single package.
Mayookha is a must-watch for mystery, thriller, and suspense genres’ fans. It delivers a complete movie-watching experience that keeps audiences guessing throughout the movie. The excellent performance by Payal Chengappa, combined with good direction by Sri Tej S.K., makes it worth watching.