Vimal Krishna made his directorial debut with DJ Tillu, which was released in 2022. The film became a huge hit and turned Siddhu Jonnalagadda into a star. Four years later, Vimal Krishna released his second film, Anumana Pakshi, with Rag Mayur in the lead role.
The film follows Sunny (Rag Mayur), from Visakhapatnam, who is extremely suspicious. He expresses doubts about everything and everyone in every situation. One day, Sunny receives a message from his friend Ananth (Charith) in Kashmir. Ananth tells him that he has suffered a lot because of Sunny and threatens to commit suicide and mention Sunny’s name in his suicide note if he does not come to Kashmir. The troubles Sunny faces after his Kashmir visit are what Anumana Pakshi is about.
Writer and director: Vimal Krishna
Cast: Rag Mayur, Merin Philip, Ajay, Raashi, Prince Cecil, Charith and others
First things first, from the very first scene to the end, this film is a big disappointment. Vimal Krishna, who has handled the story, screenplay, dialogues, and direction, struggles to create a single hilarious scene.
While the film is a let-down in itself, the bigger let-down is that it comes from a filmmaker who built anticipation after helming DJ Tillu. To add to it, the promotions of Anumana Pakshi ensured that the excitement didn't die down, only for the film to put it to rest once and for all. Unfortunately, not one scene, dialogue, or the comic timing ever lands.
Vimal Krishna has missed some elemental aspects in making an entertainer when directing Anumana Pakshi. In an unfortunate parallel with the problem of the film itself, a character posts something on YouTube and hopes to get a lot of views and make the content go viral without caring about the quality. That reminds of the Anumana Pakshi makers going for instant attraction with promotions instead of enhancing quality.
Sunny, played by Rag Mayur, posts his suspicions on social media. But whatever he posts fails to generate interest even among the audience because there is no punch in those lines. Unfortunately, neither Sunny’s suspicions nor the situations built around them manage to generate laughs or drama. Instead, the audience’s patience runs thin during these portions. Even after Sunny reaches Kashmir, the story fails to pick up momentum. The reels made by Ajay’s police character in an attempt to go viral on social media become even more tiresome.
Sri Charan Pakala’s music is not up to the mark and is easily forgettable, as there is neither a memorable song nor an effective background score. The story and screenplay by Vimal Krishna lack the comic moments the audience waited for throughout the runtime, which remain elusive. The cinematography is just passable, while the use of AI-generated visuals in some of the Kashmir entry sequences is difficult to understand.
Comedy can make actors stand out when it works, but unfortunately, that does not happen here. As a result, the efforts of the cast go largely unrewarded. Rag Mayur has acted in a few films earlier, but this is his first film as a lead actor. Unfortunately, he does not seem ready to carry a film on his shoulders yet. However, he cannot be blamed entirely, as he, along with several other actors in the film, has been handed a raw deal from the script. Senior actor Ajay is wasted in the film, while Brahmaji’s comic track also fails to sparkle. The female lead appears only before the interval, and her role is quite limited, though she does her part well. Raashi, Prince Cecil, and the other actors also fail to get scenes that make a real impact.
There is a dialogue towards the end of the film asking people to maintain a distance from Anumana Pakshi. Ironically, that dialogue applies to the film itself. It is better to stay as far away from this Anumana Pakshi as possible.