Movie: Brinda
Rating: 2.25/5
Cast: Trisha, Ravindra Vijay, Indrajeeth Sukumaran, Anand Sami, Jayaprakash, Aamani, Rakendu Mouli
Director:  Surya Manoj Vangala
Produced By:  Kolla Ashish
Release Date: August 2nd, 2024

Trisha’s foray into the digital world has been a much-awaited one. The star actress is making her OTT debut with the crime thriller ‘Brinda’. The eight-episode Sony Live web series features an exciting star cast with Trisha headlining the show as Brinda. She is joined by talented Ravindra Vijay, versatile Indrajith Sukumaran, and senior actors Jayaprakash and Aamani.

Story:

Brinda (Trisha) is a sharp and intuitive sub-inspector who’s on a mission to investigate a crime. As she unravels the mystery alongside her colleague Saarathi (Ravindra Vijay), she finds out that the game is much bigger than she imagined and has a link to her troubled past. During her investigation, she comes across Thakur (Anand Sami) and Anand (Indrajith Sukumaran) who plays a key role in the scheme of events. What is this massive revelation and how her past plays a crucial role in the investigation is unraveled in a series of 8 episodes.

Performances:

Trisha brings great ease and intensity to Brinda. She completely immerses herself in the character and doesn’t let her star image take over. Trisha has done complete justice to her character and showcases her vulnerabilities, spontaneity, resilience, and courage all in one character with terrific ease. Ravindra Vijay as Saarathi is another big plus point of the show. His performance as a police officer torn between duty and ambition is great and the makers showed great character development for Saarathi. Indrajith Sukumaran, Jayaprakash, and Aamani are dependable as ever while Rakendu Mouli adds great depth to the proceedings with his mature performance. Anand Sami makes a strong impact with his portrayal of Thakur, a character with a traumatic past.

Analysis:

The basic premise of Brinda sets it apart from other crime thrillers. The show is not a usual cop and criminal investigative drama. It delves into deeper themes like superstition, religion, and their impact on the modern world. Another special mention must go to the realistic locations and reliability of the show. Brinda is primarily shot in the Secunderabad suburbs which is a huge relief from the portrayal of Hyderabad in some recent movies and web series. While the show starts on a gripping note, multiple unnecessary sub-plots like Brinda’s relationship with her sister and the track it follows dilute the thrill. In addition to that, the predictable twists and plot reveals further dampen the viewing experience. The writing that was slick and pacy in the beginning episodes becomes slightly tiresome and cliched towards the end episodes.

Positives:

• ⁠Trisha and Ravindra Vijay’s performance
• Basic premise
• Realistic locations
• Casting

Negatives:

• Loses steam towards the end
• Unnecessary subplots
• Criminal’s backstory should have been unexplored better
• Certain cliched scenes

Verdict:

Brinda could have been an absolutely thrilling experience from beginning to end had the makers explored more on the core premise of superstitions and their impact on society. While the show manages to capture your imagination in the initial episodes, it keeps you hoping for more in the later episodes which, unfortunately, never happens. Overall, Brinda is a decent watch if you’re someone who enjoys crime thrillers.