Cheekatilo Review: Journalist Sandhya goes on a relentless journey to find the truth behind the disturbing case of a serial rapist.
Cheekatilo Movie Cast
Sobhita Dhulipala, Viswadev Rachakonda, Chaitanya Visalakshmi, Esha Chawla, Vadlamani Srinivas
Cheekatilo Prime Video Director
Sharan Koppisetty
The Prime Video crime-thriller film has a runtime of 126 minutes.
Cheekatilo Review
In Cheekatilo, viewers will find themselves facing every obvious plot twist that one can expect from lazy crime thrillers, while running at breakneck speeds to cover said plot points. The film follows a relentless journalist who, with her own traumatic story in the background, tries to catch a serial rapist who has been on the prowl for years right under the police’s noses.
The film, as I mentioned earlier, is as obvious as they come. From the thrilling elements to the criminal ones, everything feels like something that we have seen before. Even Sandhya feels like the typical female protagonist who tries to get to the bottom of the problem without understanding the underlying problem and breaking a few hearts along the way, and the viewers are being told that her past has made her who she is, all the while spending as little time as possible on the topic.
On that note, Cheekatilo might feel like a novel film to watch. I mean, the topic is relevant and impactful, sure, but it tries to tick every box rather half-heartedly instead of trying to make an impact. Every scenario that is introduced feels forced and inauthentic, although the messaging is very important. I think the problem is that the film doesn’t bring anything new to the table storyline-wise and feels like it’s just trying to make an impact rather than tell a compelling story.
Sobhita Dhulipala is the face of the series and does a good job with her role as Sandhya. She is confident, headstrong and quite efficient at investigating, althoigh the police, with all of their resources, are terrible at basic skills so I don’t know whether to be impressed or not. Dhulipala’s Sandhya is somewhat one dimensional and her trauma, too, feels a bit forced rather than authentic. However, women’s struggles surrounding their existence is a relatable topic for many and her discussions with her mother, however fleeting, will hit home.
I think the topic is something that will resonate with many people because it’s very important in today’s age, with the rising crime rates and the disturbing lack of consequences, this one oddly hits home. The last twist is fine as well, although I will say that true crime lovers will be able to spot the perpetrator from a mile away. The film doesn’t work mostly because it doesn’t bring anything new to the table and, rather, reiterates the obvious over and over again.
In the end, I think Cheekatilo is unable to make the mark. I think the film tries to deliver more impact rather than focusing on the story. As a result, I found the film rather forgettable and unimpactful. There are so many films with the same topic as this one that it’s difficult to differentiate one from the other… this one’s just another entry that can’t create its own space in the genre. However, it might create somewhat of an impact thanks to the topic.
Final Thoughts
I didn’t find Cheekatilo memorable in any way. The end twist is interesting but very obvious and left me bored at some points. Viewers have seen this movie one too many times, but better. This one’s not worth the hassle.
What are your thoughts on Cheekatilo? Let us know in the comments below!
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