Other than Predestination, there are elements of Back to the Future, Michael Crichton’s Timeline etc. A clock tower reference to Manam, a reference to Aditya 369 in the climactic portions, and I think even the psychological thriller aspects of 1- Nenokkadine - Telugu cinema’s biggest ‘if-only-it-was-a-hit’ movie. The film works as a rare tribute to all the great sci-fi works in both Telugu cinema and Hollywood.

It’s not art like Predestination, which Adbhutham clearly is influenced by, but it’s a fantastic fusion with all the masala expected of a Telugu film. It’s the sci-fi angle that cements the film as one of the best entertainers of the year. If you judge it just based on the rom-com angle then this might have been a predictable film. Satya perfects the character of Prasad and gives us a whiff of what Sunil brought to the films in the 2000s, a decade where he perfected such roles. Even the ‘friend’ characters who serve as hero- ki friend tropes are present. The meet-cute, the separation of young lovers, the love-hate-love relationship, the hero drinking excessively, the heroine being pressured into a wedding alliance and the climax too. The Telugu rom-com beats and tributes are all present, added with a mix of the unbelievability of Serendipity and the ignorance of the protagonists in Premalekha. The film’s protagonists on the other hand struggle to take a few leaps of their own too.Īdbhutham then proceeds to weave the genres of sci-fi and rom-com till the end and it aces the balance in its attempts. It’s also a signal that what’s about to follow is going to be in a magical space and we have to take a few leaps of faith with the film. There is thunder and lightning and magenta coloured clouds foreboding the perilous times to come. The film begins on a magical, Shakespearean note. It’s about how these two people solve this technical issue and a romance that brews despite being in two different places in life. Right till the end, I was glued to my TV screen as I watched the film till 2:30 in the morning.Īdbhutham, a sci-fi rom-com, is about Surya (Teja Sajja) and Vennela (Shivani Rajashekhar) who find themselves communicating with each other despite having the same mobile number.

When I noticed them, I thought they were careless production errors but I was terribly wrong. It was a fresh twist leading up to the moment and there were few clues lined up along the way too. If that feels like an exaggeration be prepared for a few more. Ībout thirty minutes into the film, when the ‘twists’ start rolling my jaw nearly fell.

This applies more so to my review of Adbhutham. Often, how someone reacts to a film says more about that person’s tastes and expectations than the film itself.

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