Cheekatilo Review
Director: Sharan Koppisetty
Date Created: 2026-01-23 17:32
2.5
Cheekatilo Review: Directed by Sharan Koppisetty, the Telugu crime-thriller film on Prime Video has a run time of 126 minutes. The movie is fronted by Sobhita Dhulipala as Sandhya Nelluri, a television journalist who grows disillusioned with the “masala” treatment of real crimes on her popular show and decides to chase the truth on her own terms. With key supporting turns from Viswadev Rachakonda, Chaitanya Visalakshmi, Esha Chawla, Jhansi, Aamani, Ravindra Vijay, Vadlamani Srinivas and others.
Cheekatilo Review
Prime Video’s Cheekatilo follows Sandhya’s journey from her job at a TRP-seeking newsroom to her new role as a podcast host, where she starts to cover true crime. The story in the film changes from depicting extreme female violence to the personal experience of violence that leads the protagonist to want to undertake her own investigation. The classic documentary style of a true crime film creates tension and also fosters a sense of trust between the viewer and the documentary, as it gives the viewer the opportunity to come to their own conclusions.
Unfortunately, Telugu crime-thriller Cheekatilo does not provide much opportunity for the audience to develop the same level of fear through pacing and minor foreshadowing. The movie is very fast-paced in its delivery of each point because of the use of pacing. A thriller movie must also have consistent pacing throughout its duration and be able to create atmosphere.
Thus, what we are left with is the feeling that Cheekatilo provides for the important points to occur in order before being followed by a series of important points and dialogue that will allow the movie to come to a close. The atmosphere of Sandhya’s world is only present as a world that will move the movie forward in its progression, as opposed to a real world in which the story can unfold.
The film’s glaring flaw lies in Sandhya’s ability to traverse areas that are supposed to be safer than they actually are. In order for an investigative thriller to be truly compelling, the protagonist must face legitimate threats and heightened stakes that will hinder their realisation of the truth, and every action taken must lead to a funeral (metaphorically speaking) for the character.
In the Telugu movie Cheekatilo, this apparent lack of inconvenience suggests that the film’s method of flash-forwarding through time on multiple occasions will ultimately derail the intended tone of suspense and tension because the entire investigation is geared toward public institutions (media outlets, governmental agencies and law enforcement) as well as the need for credibility in their delivery of operational information.
Although the movie presented several realities of how sensationalised media representations generate challenges within our institutions, due to the lack of detail depicted in the manner in which the institutions operate, the information conveyed through the film’s storytelling did not effectively convey this reality.
The movie has you hooked from the very beginning by playing on a certain emotional note—the entire opening sequence is constructed on that emotional note, and the rest of the movie rests on that as a foundation. Sobhita Dhulipala as Sandhya is a character who has been moulded by emotional experiences, not a perfect, omniscient detective. She’s more about being a combination of empathy for others and professional success.
Dhulipala’s role in the movie is very important to how Sandhya navigates through and places herself on the foundation of ethical dilemmas, and it is one of the driving forces of the movie itself. One of the most interesting aspects is the use of quiet and still frames that draw you into the lives of the women, which are filled with fear and danger, without having to shout.
However, it is also important to note that despite the presence of a good cast, it is not possible to overcome the issue of characters being written in a typical manner. The narrative provides three obvious trajectories: the fiancé who is torn between being supportive and being annoyed, the authority figures who are mere devices, and the supporting characters who make an appearance and then disappear. There is a requirement for a more complex and detailed analysis of archetypes, particularly when the movie deals with violence against women and the culture surrounding it.
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Cheekatilo shows good technical skills, and there are places where it hits the right spot. The background score, which is the prime mover in thrillers such as this one, heightens the tension to levels that the dialogue fails to reach at times. The film understands the appeal of its “darkness” theme, literal as well as metaphorical, and the theme would have been more potent if the story had lingered in that space instead of moving on to the next one. The biggest issue, though, is originality or rather, the lack of it.
The film establishes its main structure at an early point, which makes it clear even for viewers who have not seen all true-crime thrillers. The film develops several twists which experienced viewers will recognise before the filmmakers intend to reveal them. The entire viewing experience suffers because the predictability establishes a “twist problem”, which decreases tension. The story becomes predictable before you reach its conclusion, so you start to focus on the process of the story. The Cheekatilo experience suffers from its lack of important content.
The film needs its purpose to establish its main message because it determines what the filmmakers want to achieve. Stories that examine sexual violence through the lens of victim silencing and institutional indifference need to be told when creators use authentic and respectful methods. The film Cheekatilo shows its characters’ Christian responsibilities through Sandhya’s character, who reveals her compassionate nature at various points in the story. The storytelling fails to maintain an appropriate level of seriousness which matches the subject matter of the film. The movie wants to create an emotional impact, but it actually functions as a standard film that includes an important message.
Prime Video Cheekatilo Review: Summing Up
Although the lead performance in the Prime Video movie Cheekatilo is commendable, and it tackles a current and relevant issue, it has enough momentum to keep you engaged. However, the film is plagued by the overuse of clichés in writing, and it relies too heavily on “easy answers” as part of its storyline. Furthermore, although the movie is technically a “thriller,” it does not possess the kind of realism needed to create a believable world in which the events of the story unfold.
Regardless of whether you are watching because of your interest in Sobhita Dhulipala or because of the broad concept of the film, you may still find something appealing about it. While the movie allows for elements of surprise as you explore the central themes, it does not reach the level of quality that you may have enjoyed with other, better films. In this way, you may feel somewhat disappointed.
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