We do not often come across Telugu films headlined by a female protagonist, that too in a narrative that gives her the scope to deliver solid punches. To give credit where due, the makers of Satyabhama, the cop drama led by Kajal Aggarwal, take that leap of faith to present a film where the woman takes centre stage. Directed by Suman Chikkala, the film acknowledges the part played by SHE Teams and the SHESafe app for women in distress. Kajal features in ‘mass’ segments with slow-motion walks and action sequences set to pulsating music by Sricharan Pakala. However, the film chooses not to go the Singham or Kartavyam way. It tries to do a balancing act and explore a brooding drama in which the cop has to fight back demons from the past to find closure.
ACP Satyabhama (Kajal Aggarwal) is a cop who puts the call of duty above everything else. It helps that her husband, writer Amar (Naveen Chandra), is almost always supportive and patient, even when she turns up a few hours late for their wedding. This lack of friction takes the anxiety of balancing the personal and professional life off Satyabhama’s shoulders but she soon has to deal with a setback that begins to gnaw at her personal life as well.
Satyabhama (Telugu)
Direction: Suman Chikkala
Cast: Kajal Aggarwal, Naveen Chandra, Prakash Raj
Storyline: When a woman seeks help in a case of domestic abuse, ACP Satyabhama’s plan goes haywire. She has to deal with setbacks, overcome guilt and trauma and unravel the truth.
The narrative tries to shatter a few stereotypes. For instance, several mainstream films have lines in which ‘wearing the bangles’ becomes a metaphor for a lack of courage, read masculinity. In a scene, Satyabhama walks into a lockup, dressed in red sari and bangles, knocks a man out of his wits and makes him spill the beans. Such small instances aside, the initial sequences that project her as a tough cop do not go beyond the mainstream templates with a rousing background score, slow motion walk, slick hairdos and power dressing. While it helps to set the tone of the narrative, some innovativeness in how she tackles the cases would have helped raise the bar.
The story takes off when a woman named Haseena walks into the police station and seeks protection from her abusive husband. Things do not go as expected and Satyabhama finds herself answerable to Haseena’s brother, Iqbal, and his elderly father. Long after some of her higher-ups think the case is closed, it haunts her and she sets out to find the truth. Several characters are introduced as sub plots emerge and Satyabhama wades through a maze, unable to move on in the professional and the personal spheres.
Several characters come into the fore — played by Ankith Koyya, Sampada, Payal Radhakrishna, Neha Pathan and Prajwal Yadma. A subplot of friendship and love adds a new dimension to the drama but outlives its welcome. Actors Prakash Raj, Nagineedu and Ravi Varma are cast in characters that do not make an impression. Naveen Chandra is also wasted in an underwritten part. A political angle is explored, only to be dropped as soon as the plot introduces an AI-incorporated game, chat windows, impersonations, terrorism and more. A subplot touches upon religious stereotyping but ultimately, when the seemingly complex puzzle is solved, it ends up being a simple revenge drama. It is hard to stay invested in what is happening or feel genuinely anxious for any of the characters involved, including Satyabhama. What salvages the climax portions, to an extent, is how Satyabhama approaches the crisis and it stands as a subtle comment on gun culture.
Kajal Aggarwal makes the action segments work and her demeanour is designed to give away very little in terms of emotions; she is expected to convey her trauma with measured emotional outbursts. It works in some portions while in others, we barely resonate with the plight of her character.
Satyabhama could have been a riveting cop drama, especially since its screenplay is by Sashi Kiran Tikka (Goodachari and Major) but this one falls short.