What Is the Story About?
Disney Plus Hotstar’s latest Telugu original series ‘Vadhuvu’ follows young Anjuri Indu (Avika Gor), whose first marriage is called off when her sister elopes with her to-be groom. A year later, she’s married off to Anand (Nandu), but the marriage looks doomed from the beginning due to sinister elements at play. A murder of an enigmatic character and several eerie incidents later, Indu is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Vadhuvu is directed by Poluru Krishna, and produced by Shrikant Mohta and Mahendra Soni of SVF.
Performances?
All three leads have delivered accomplished performances in Vadhuvu. Avika Gor is particularly compelling to watch, with a nuanced, mature rendering of a disturbed newlywed. Nandu and Ali Reza match her toe to toe as her husband Anand and brother-in-law, Arya. The rest of the cast lends suitable support.
Analysis
Vadhuvu is a well-made series, with ample suspense and mystery to keep viewers engaged and invested in the drama. The characters are etched out well, while the story flows ahead in a fluid manner. The writer and director expertly build up the suspense from the first episode itself. The unnerving background score amps up the spooky feeling well.
Multiple intriguing characters populate the narrative, adding to the eerieness of the story. Shady brother-in-law Arya and his mysterious absent wife, Vaishnavi; the hot-tempered Anand; the unhinged sister of Anand and Arya, Padma; their other sister Sneha’s sleazy husband; among others, each has sordid secrets to hide and skeletons in the closet.
Overbearing patriarchy and misogyny form the basis of the story. Women are looked down upon and treated shabbily in Indu’s new household. There seems to be a sexual abuse angle to Padma’s story. All of it combines to make the story of Vadhuvu quite interesting and watchable.
However, a lot of things don’t work for the series. Repetitive sequences get tedious after a while. Plot points are repeated several times, as if to hammer them into our brains. The pace of the show is also on the slower side, compelling the viewer to hit the fast forward button several times in the runtime.
The seven-episode series ends with tons of unresolved issues, making season 2 of the show a certainty. The makers leave us hanging in the air with no closure whatsoever, thus adding a feeling of dissatisfaction to the whole thing. Nevertheless, on the whole, Vadhuvu is a watchable series, except for the excruciatingly slow pace.
Music and Other Departments?
Sriram Maddury’s background score is melancholic and suitably unnerving, enhancing the suspense of the storytelling. Ram K Mahesh’s cinematography is very good. The frames are well-structured and good to look at. Anil Kumar’s editing is efficient.
Highlights?
Good world-Building
Decent Performances
Drawbacks?
Excruciatingly Slow Pace
Tad Repetitive
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, In Parts
Will You Recommend It?
Yes, With Reservations
Vadhuvu Series Review by Binged Bureau
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