Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya Review: A Thoroughly Fresh and a Gripping Tale!

‘Thriller’ is just another incognizant genre in the Telugu Film Industry as we, the audience, are accustomed to standard commercial films which blend in a multitude of formulaic aspects like music, humor, action and drama. But, in the recent past, the audience steadily started to embrace the unparalleled artistry of unorthodox movies when studios started putting out films like Goodachari, Kshanam, 118 and Shamantakamani which opened the door and gave the storytellers the much-needed confidence that they wished for. Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya falls under that same category of new and unorthodox movies which stars a fairly new cast, directed by a debutant filmmaker and produced by a movie studio which has only one (remarkable) film under its name.

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Set in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, the plot of the movie traverses through the fun and mischief of our lead character, Agent Athreya (Naveen Polishetty) and his assistant Sneha (Shruti Sharma) as they run their own spy and detective business called FBI (Fatima Bureau of Investigation). After spending most of their time settling burglaries and silly street fights, Athreya comes across an unsettling case which involves murder and multiple unanswered questions which immediately catches his attention. Subsequently, the remainder of the movie explores his journey of solving the case which goes way beyond than just a murder.

First and foremost, above anything, the most surprising aspect of this film is the amount of humor it is able to pack-in within that 148-minute runtime. Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya is funny and shines the brightest by spicing up the first half of the narrative with clean and refreshing comedy. Accordingly, when the actual plot of the film kicks-in, it takes itself very seriously and doesn’t interrupt the pace by inserting random comedic sequences to sway the audience member. Advancing to another significant attribute which helped in the film’s success, the screenplay, written by director Swaroop RSJ and lead actor Naveen Polishetty. Similar to every other compelling mystery-thriller, Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya also succeeds in captivating the viewer by launching every key point in the script on the silver screen during the first half and effectively solving or addressing it in the second half of the film.

The storyline of the film is also not a letdown and succeeds in blending in both fiction and reality appropriately. It had a significant message to share and enthrals the viewer till the very end by finely unfolding the edge-of-the-seat drama. Subsequently, the director also doesn’t treat the viewer like a fool and avoided to spoon-feed the answers and expected them to understand the film as it moved on a swift pace. However, there are certain times where cinematic liberties were taken as things fall into the protagonist’s hands rather conveniently, but then again, that could be just me nitpicking.

Leading the film with an unfamiliar cast, the well-written characters uphold the okay-ish performances from the supporting cast including Shruti Sharma and others. But, Naveen Polishetty, our protagonist, steals the show and the carries the entire movie on his shoulders effortlessly. His impeccable comedic timing, ability to be both funny and serious at the same and his likeable screen presence throughout the runtime helped the film through and through.

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Overall, Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya excels with its compelling narration, delightful comedic scenes and had a significant social message to share. A thoroughly fresh and a gripping tale which moves rapidly and entertains the viewer at the same time without questioning their intelligence. Kudos the entire cast and crew for making an attempt and bringing something fresh and completely different to the table.

Rating – 3.5/5 | Grade – B+