OTT Review : Puli Meka on Zee 5

Cast: Lavanya Tripathi, Aadhi Sai Kumar, Suman and others
Director: Chakravarthy Reddy
Music: Praveen Lakkaraju
Banner: Kona Film Corporation & ZEE5
Streaming On : Zee 5

Zee 5 has been churning out Telugu web series one after the other. Next in line is Puli Meka, a thriller that marks the OTT debut of actors Lavanya Tripathi and Aadi Saikumar. The show is conceived and created by writer Kona Venkat who is also the producer. Chakravarthy Reddy has directed this show which is about a serial killer on the loose.

Plot

Three cops get killed one after the other and this creates ripples in the police department. The head cop(Suman) feels that a serial killer is on the loose and assigns the job to his deputy Kiran Prabha(Lavanya Tripathi). In comes the clues team head Prabhakar(Aadi Saikumar) to assist Kiran. The investigation starts and as time passes by, Prabhakar finds out that one cop is behind all these murders but he cannot reveal it. Who is the culprit? and how Prabhakar solves the mystery with Kiran Prabha forms the crux of the story.

Performances

Lavanya Tripathi plays the cop role for the first time in her career and she is convincing. The authority needed for a cop and crucial facial expressions has been expressed well by her. She gets a meaty part and shocks us with her transformation. Aadi Saikumar plays the support part to the T. He looks subdued in the beginning but comes to his own as the story progresses. Veteran actor Suman has a role of substance and is neat. The supporting cast is just okay and Raja is menacing in his negative role. For a change, Siri of Bigg Boss fame gets a very good role and she was very good in her crucial part.

Technicalities

Puli Meka is penned by Kona Venkat and his writing is not that gripping. To make the plot commercial, he has added a love story and also family emotions which are not needed at all, and dilute the thrill factor in the series. Praveen Lakkaraju’s music and BGM are ordinary and do not create much of an impact. Chota K Prasad’s editing is not up to the mark as at least half an hour in the entire series could have been removed. The entire production design looks dull and the setup is not that realistic.

What’s Good

Lavanya’s character
Major twists in the last four episodes

What’s Bad

Lack of emotional depth
Lack of gripping thrills
Slow pace
Boring family scenes

Analysis

For any web series that has a serial killer concept, the suspense factor is the biggest asset. In Puli Meka, there is scope for suspense and thrills but that is marred by a silly love track and a family drama that bores you for no reason. Rather than dwelling on the emotional aspect of the conflict point, Kona Venkat’s script sidetracks so many times and gets into the groove only in the sixth episode. Until then, the thrill factor and suspense angle is spoilt completely.

But Kona Venkat packs a punch in the last few episodes as his twists and turns are impressive. Director Chakravarthy Reddy makes sure that he elevates all the parallel tracks and joins them in a perfect manner. The manner in which the main culprit is revealed was quite impressive. The way the dots are connected and the twist that is revealed in the last scene is really engaging and come as a surprise. Kudos to the director for handling this part efficiently.

Puli Meka does not have anything new to show and has a routine storyline. The serial killer concept and the way it is shown looks good on paper but in visuals wise, it is not menacing one bit. The intriguing factor is missing in the initial few episodes and does not connect to the proceedings in an emotional way. The excitement factor is missing in the initial parts of the film and this is where the narration should have been engaging. By the time, the show gets into its groove, the audience loses their patience.

Finally, Puli Meka is a web series that takes a long time to take off. The makers keep the best for the last episode but it is late by then. Lavanya Tripathi and Aadi Sai Kumar are good and the last few episodes have decent thrills. But to enjoy this show, one needs a lot of patience and time on hand. So watch it at your own leisure but there is no sensational stuff that has been showcased here.

Bottom Line- Bad Game