Fear is a Telugu psychological thriller that was released in theaters on December 14, 2024 and is streaming on Amazon Prime Video from January 22, 2025. Written, edited and directed by Haritha Gogineni, who made her debut as a doctor and director, the film stars Vedhika in the lead role, while Aravind Krishna, Pavitra Lokesh, Anish Kuruvilla, Sayaji Shinde, Jayaprakash, Satya Krishna, and Sahithi Dasari appear in supporting roles.
Music by Anoop Rubens, cinematography by I. Andrew, and a UA certificate with a running time of 1 hour and 52 minutes, the film is produced by Dattatreya Media and People Media Factory. Fear, which created buzz with over 70 international awards, raised expectations with the suspense seen in the trailer, the psychological conflict in Vedhika's character, and the twists. How is this film? Let's see my feelings, highlights, and shortcomings in this review!
What's in the story?
Sindhu (Vedika) is a cheerful, happy young woman, who is in love with her boyfriend Sampath (Arvind Krishna). When Sampath goes somewhere else for work, strange and scary events take place in Sindhu's life. She feels that someone is chasing her, but she doesn't know if it's real or just an illusion in her mind.
Did Sindhu experience childhood trauma in the past? Why was she admitted to a psychiatric hospital? Why did Sampath distance himself from her? What is Sindhu's mental problem, and how did she overcome it? Why is her sister Indu (Sahithi Dasari) jealous of Sindhu? The answers to these questions are the plot of Fear, which runs against the backdrop of schizophrenia, mental health, and childhood trauma.
My Feelings: Interesting concept, but the execution is disappointing!
When I watched the Fear trailer, I felt that it would be a hit with the vibe of psychological thrillers like Shiva and Antahpuram, stage performances, and Haritha Gogineni's direction. Sindhu's character establishment, suspense scenes, and non-linear narration in the first half were impressive. Industryhit praised it saying, "The non-linear narration increased the intrigue" and Telugu Bulletin praised it saying, "The climax twist and last 15 minutes are good."
However, in the second half, the screenplay became repetitive and stretched with a slow pace. Times of India (2/5) criticized it as "disjointed screenplay, uneven pacing" and CinemaExpress (2/5) criticized it as "repetitive structure, predictable twists." Despite having an IMDb rating of 8.5/10 (2800+ reviews), Indiaglitz said that “it felt like a short film, the story development was lacking”. A user on X wrote that “Vedika is amazing, but the film is slow, the climax is predictable”. While the performance of the stage, the concept of mental health, the climax are good, the slow pace, visual flatness, repetitive scenes, and the underutilization of the supporting cast make the film a half-success.
Acting, technical aspects
Vedika Sindhu is the strength of the film. She plays fear, paranoid emotions, pre-climax, and climax scenes brilliantly. The Times of India praised her “Vedika’s performance is authentic, it holds the film together” and Industryhit called her “Vedika convincing”. Arvind Krishna (Sampath), Pavitra Lokesh, Anish Kuruvilla (Doctor), Sayaji Shinde, Jayaprakash, Satya Krishna are decent in supporting roles, but their characters lack depth, which CinemaExpress criticized as “the supporting cast is underutilized”. Sahithi Dasari (Indu) is remembered as the jealous sister.
Technically, Anoop Rubens’ BGM elevates the suspense scenes. IndustryHit praised it saying “the BGM increases the intensity”. While I. Andrew’s cinematography is decent, The Times of India said “the visuals fail to create an eerie atmosphere”. Telugu Bulletin suggested that Haritha Gogineni’s editing, while crisp in the first half, drags on with repetitive scenes in the second half. While the non-linear timelines in the screenplay were interesting, Hindustan Times criticized it, saying that “abrupt timeline shifts create confusion.” The production values are average, and while the art department tries to cover a psychological theme, Indiaglitz said it “feels more like a short film than a full-fledged movie.”
Likes, Dislikes
Likes:
Stage Performance: Sindhu's character portrays fear, vulnerability, and paranoid emotions brilliantly.
Concept: A rare attempt in Telugu cinema on schizophrenia, childhood trauma, and mental health.
Climax Twist: The last 15 minutes, an unexpected reveal gives goosebumps.
Anup Rubens' BGM: Added intensity to the suspense scenes.
Message: A good message about children's mental health and parenting in childhood.
Dislikes:
Slow pace: The second half feels repetitive and drawn out.
Predictable twists: Some twists are easy to predict.
Visual flatness: Cinematography fails to create the eerie atmosphere befitting a psychological thriller.
Supporting cast: Lack of depth in the roles of Arvind Krishna and Pavitra Lokesh.
Disjointed screenplay: Abrupt timeline shifts cause confusion.
Who should watch it?
It will suit fans of Fear Vedika, those who like psychological thrillers like Shiva and Mantra, and audiences interested in the concept of mental health. With a UA certificate, it has mild horror elements and suspense, so youth and adults can enjoy it on OTT. Reviews on BookMyShow praised it as “mentally engaging on mental health without being preachy” and “twists every 20 minutes”. A user on X wrote, “Vedika’s acting is great, parents must watch.” However, those expecting fast-paced thrillers like Anjali and Rangam or high-intensity horror may find the film slow and predictable. Hindustan Times criticized the “lack of story depth.”
Rating: 2.5/5
Fear Vedika impressed with its amazing performance, schizophrenia concept, climax twist, Anoop Rubens’ BGM, and message on mental health. However, the slow pace, repetitive scenes, predictable twists, visual flatness, and disjointed screenplay prevented the film from being a fully engaging thriller. Haritha Gogineni tried to impress with a rare theme, but the execution and script depth lagged behind. A must-see for those who love psychological thrillers on Amazon Prime!
Release Date: December 14, 2024 (Theaters); January 22, 2025 (Amazon Prime Video)
Director: Haritha Gogineni
Cast: Vedhika, Aravind Krishna, Pavitra Lokesh, Anish Kuruvilla, Sayaji Shinde, Jayaprakash, Satya Krishna, Sahithi Dasari
Rating: UA (Psychological Thriller)