Cheekatilo Review: Sobhita Dhulipala’s Film Is Sleek In Craft, Sluggish In Soul

Title: Cheekatilo

Director: Sharan Kopishetty

Cast: Sobhita Dhulipala, Vishwadev Rachakonda, Chaitanya Visalakshmi, Isha Chawla, Jhansi, Aamani, Vadlamani Srinivas

Where: Prime Video

Rating: 2.5 Stars

Cheekatilo arrives with the swagger of a thriller ready to rattle skeletons in society’s cupboards, only to realise halfway that it has misplaced the key. At 2 hours and 6 minutes, the film certainly has time on its side, yet much of that time wanders into cul-de-sacs of clichés and narrative detours. The premise is juicy enough. Sandhya Nelluri, a crime anchor tired of peddling TRP tantrums, chooses to expose the rot festering beneath polite silences. When her beloved intern Bobby dies under suspicious circumstances, she launches a podcast named Cheekatilo to chronicle true crime and embolden victims to come forward.

It is a setup that practically begs for urgency and intrigue. For a brief moment, the film seems to promise precisely that. Then, in a curious act of creative self-sabotage, it laces the plot with disjointed episodes that feel more like anthology fragments than a cohesive investigation. As Sandhya traces an unsettling pattern of deaths across the Godavari region since 2000, the film ought to tighten its grip. Instead, it loosens it and occasionally drops the rope entirely.

The technical finesse only highlights what the writing withholds. The production values sparkle, the frames are polished, and the lighting team has clearly worked overtime. Yet the story feels like a polite party guest who refuses to make meaningful conversation. One can sense intention behind the craft, but little inspiration guides the narrative. The overall impact becomes strangely hollow. It’s a thriller stranded without palpable thrill.

Actors’ Performance

Cheekatilo rests squarely on Sobhita Dhulipala’s shoulders, and she carries the film with an earnestness that keeps it from collapsing altogether. She lends Sandhya a well-grounded mix of fatigue, moral conflict, and grit. Her performance alone gives the narrative a pulse.

Everyone else, unfortunately, stands in the shadow of her arc. Vishwadev Rachakonda appears as the supportive love interest, orbiting the margins of the story with a calm that borders on invisibility. Aamani and Vadlamani Srinivas, as his parents, shine in their limited scenes and bring warmth which the film lacks. The police officers, victims, and assorted side characters are all rendered in broad strokes. Their personalities are so thinly sketched that one half expects them to flutter away with a strong breeze. The emotional stakes, therefore, remain perfunctory.

Music

Sricharan Pakala’s music is among the film’s more successful choices. The score knows when to brood and when to accelerate. It creates an atmosphere that the writing does not fully support. Aesthetically, the film is meticulous. The textures, tones, and transitions evoke the right world for a slow-burning thriller. What is missing is the spark that binds these fine elements into a gripping whole. The mood is there, but the momentum is not.

FPJ Verdict

Cheekatilo aspires to be a socially conscious thriller but ends up feeling like a déjà vu buffet of familiar tropes. It has a commendable premise and robust technical backing, yet the writing falters and the execution stumbles. The result is a polished but underwhelming echo of thrillers we have seen before. A recycled jamboree that promises far more than it delivers.