‘Show Time’ movie review: Naveen Chandra’s crime thriller flatters to deceive

Naveen Chandra, who has had a handful of theatrical releases this year, has been steadily winning over audiences across OTT platforms with a stream of consistent, assured performances. His latest Telugu film, Show Time, perfectly aligns with his forte: a crime thriller with a minimalistic setup, banking on a supposedly offbeat concept.

The core premise of the film seems to be an offshoot of Ayyappanum Koshiyum (the inspiration behind Pawan Kalyan’s Telugu film Bheemla Nayak). It centres on an ego-driven, crooked cop named Lakshmi Kanth (Raja Ravindra) and a hot-blooded common man, Surya (Naveen Chandra), who refuses to yield. However, their confrontation largely takes place within the confines of a crime scene.

Both men have an ugly face-off when Lakshmi Kanth desperately instigates Surya, his family, and neighbours, rebuking them for creating a nuisance at night. Just when the tense atmosphere seems to settle, Surya’s wife, Shanti (Kamakshi Bhaskarla), finds herself trapped in a crime. As Surya attempts to resolve the crisis with the help of a lawyer, the cop tries to prove he’s in charge.

Though Show Time has a suitable idea for a film made on a shoestring budget with a compact crew, its execution is amateurish at best. While the story’s plot points have scope to generate tension, the storytelling lacks momentum, and the screenplay meanders. Trivial stretches drift away from the basic idea of the narrative and test the viewer’s patience.

Despite its clear intentions, simple scenes are stretched beyond necessity, perhaps to reach a two-hour runtime. For instance, the film opens with a lengthy antakshari sequence, seemingly just to suggest the residents are having a boisterous time. Similarly, the scene where Surya oversees food arrangements for his in-laws, who are to arrive later, goes on and on.

The lengthy phone call to offer a peek into the victim’s ‘beloved’ family is exaggerated. The pacing and editing are oddly lax, save the music which tries to create some urgency in the backdrop. The scenes are half-baked; one can sense the actors’ efforts to lift the material beyond the blandness, but they are helpless after a point.

The dialogues, often in poor taste, aren’t sharp enough to ensure engaging sequences; the characters either ramble or take too many pauses. The writing lacks punch, and the staging remains too dull and basic to generate interest. While the pre-interval segments painstakingly try to delay the inevitable, the second hour is more ‘happening’ with the arrival of new characters.

When Surya seeks help from a lawyer Varadarajulu (Naresh), the rather vain attempt to glorify the latter’s so-called colourful lifestyle does not land well. And, it is hard to gauge why would a criminal lawyer be so troubled with the sight of a dead body. Amid all the chaos in the proceedings, it is evident that the conviction to sell the deceit wholeheartedly is amiss.

The film only comes into its own in the last 20 minutes or so, where a clever twist turns the situation on its head and the clash of egos ensures a series of entertaining verbal exchanges. Only Naveen Chandra and Kamakshi Bhaskarla manage to rise above the mediocrity around them with measured, believable performances. The generally reliable Naresh goes overboard with an inconsistent character.

Raja Ravindra, Gemini Suresh and Manik Reddy deliver mechanical, laidback performances. Shekar Chandra’s music offers nothing beyond the obvious. It feels like director Madhan Dakshinamurthy trusted his premise too blindly to make the film work; there is no other standout factor in the craft to elevate the viewing experience.

Even with its 108-minute duration, Show Time is tiresome and has too many loose ends.

(The film is running in theatres)

Published – July 04, 2025 03:32 pm IST